The crisis has affected trade at the Syrian border, throughout Turkey and also with other Arab countries in the region, for which Syria is the main transit route. According to data from the Southeastern Anatolia Exporters’ Union (GAİB), Syria has dropped on the list of regional exporters from second to fifth place. Iraq is first on the list.
Total exports from GAİB members to Syria in the period of January to November 2011 were $186.3 million. But with Syria’s reaction to Turkey’s “smart sanctions” -- which targeted the Asad regime’s leadership -- suspending the free trade agreement with Turkey and implementing a 30 percent rise in duty for Turkish goods, exports to Syria are expected to come to a halt. Some businessmen with investments in Syria are thinking of permanently closing their factories.
Gaziantep, although its exports to Syria constitute a fairly small portion of its total exports, is one of the provinces where the fall in trade has been felt considerably. Abdulkadir Çıkmaz, president of GAİB, told the Anatolia news agency that GAİB has experienced difficulties in the last month and that exports to Syria have dropped by 30 to 40 percent. “Our exports to Syria were between $150 and $200 million yearly, an important sum for the region. The local economy will be adversely affected by this political tension,” Çıkmaz stated. Although transit across Syria has not yet been affected much, Çıkmaz has some misgivings about the present situation because the route through Syria is now unsafe. Noting that drivers no longer want to traverse Syria, he says, “The government should start ro-ro transport between Mersin and Aqaba.”
Adil Konukoğlu, president of the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry (GSO), also believes problems will increase following these latest steps from the Syrian government. Konukoğlu believes that Turkish industrialists and businessmen who have had to stop doing business with or in Syria should be compensated for their losses. Some firms will continue with business as usual in Syria. Mehmet Ali Mutafoğlu is the president of Akteks, a textile company based in Gaziantep. He also has production facilities, an investment of $35 million, in Aleppo. Mutafoğlu told Anatolia that he does not feel insecure in Syria because his brother lives there and his father regularly visits the textile plant.
Tourism has also been negatively affected. Visitors used to travel from Syria to Gaziantep for shopping; some would even spend a night. The total number of Syrian visitors per month before the crisis is estimated at around 50,000 to 60,000. And Turkish tourists used to visit Syria, with eight to 10 buses running daily from Gaziantep to Syria, according to Fikret Murat Tural, the Turkish Association of Travel Agents’ (TÜRSAB) GAP region chief executive officer. The GAP region encompasses the provinces of Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa and Şırnak.
Altınoluk Turizm is one of leading firms in the tourism business. The company has carried around 20,000 passengers every year from Gaziantep to Syria in recent times. “We used to run at least four busses daily, but now nobody wants to go to Syria for security reasons.” Fetullah Aşkın, manager of the firm, said Sanko Park, a shopping mall in Gaziantep, is one place where the impact of the crisis can clearly be seen. Emre Şen, the general manager of the shopping mall, noted: “The mall used to attract around 40,000 Syrian visitors every month. They would spend a lot of money. Now the figure has dropped to 5,000.”
Şanlıurfa, which used to receive around 200,000 visitors yearly from Syria, is another province that has been negatively affected by the crisis. They now receive around one-tenth as many visitors. Şanlıurfa mainly exports cement, and their business continued as usual until the end of October. “In November our exports dropped by half,” Sabri Ertekin told Today’s Zaman. Ertekin is head of the Şanlıurfa Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In the first 11 months of the year, Şanlıurfa’s total export figure was $164 million, of which nearly $70 million went to Syria. Ertekin believes that figure will also drop sharply following Syria’s suspension of the free trade agreement.
Turkish transporters have also been very negatively affected; Syria is not only an export market for Turkish goods, but also a transit country. There are between 500 and 600 trucks waiting at the Syrian border at the moment. Transporters are looking for alternative routes over Iraq. After Syria suspended the free trade agreement the fee for each truck headed for Syria from Turkey rose by $850. Trucks heading through Syria to neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan now pay $1,500 more, making Turkish goods very expensive for Middle Eastern consumers. Mustafa Yılmaz, a board member of the International Transporters’ Association (UND), estimates around 45,000 trucks passed through Syria last year. Turkish transporters are now waiting for officials to reach an agreement with Iraq so they can use the Habur border crossing in southeastern Turkey to reach destinations in the Arabian Peninsula.
Remzi Güzel, deputy head of the Antakya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO), is also worried about congestion at the border gates to Syria. “Fresh fruits and vegetables in the trucks headed for Kuwait and Dubai run the risk of going bad,” Güzel commented to the Cihan news agency. Hatay is believed to be one of the most adversely affected provinces since the outbreak of the crisis. Hatay’s exports to Syria fell from $16 million in October to $11 million in November.
