President al-Assad to visit Turkey on Wedensday. Erdogan: President
al-Assad's stances are constructive, positive

Sep 15, 2009
www.sana.sy/eng/21/2009/09/15/245173.htm

Damascus, SANA - Syrian news agency President Bashar al-Assad pays a visit
to Turkey on Wednesday on an invitation from the Justice and Development
Party to attend an Iftar banquet in honor of His Excellency.

In a statement to SANA News Agency, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib
Erdogan said "The stances of President Bashar al-Assad towards issues of the
region and the achievement of security, stability and peace have always been
constructive and positive, and everybody in the world knows that."

"Our meetings with President al-Assad are important and contribute to
strengthening fraternal relations between both brotherly countries and
peoples," Erdogan added.

He underlined that Syria and Turkey keep exerting intensive efforts to help
solve the Middle East problems and ensure the requirements of security and
stability in the region.

Erdogan expressed pleasure over President al-Assad's upcoming visit to
Turkey and his accepting the invitation of the Turkish Justice and
Development Party to attend an Iftar banquet in his honor.

"I am so glad to host my brother and dear friend President Bashar al-Assad
again in his second home Turkey," said Erdogan, pointing out that talks
during the meeting would deal with all the details related to the
development of relations between the two countries in all fields, as well as
the latest developments in the region.
The Turkish Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the timing of this
visit, saying "I would like to seize this occasion to wish the friendly
people of Syria a blessed Ramadan, a happy Eid al-Fitr and more progress and
prosperity," Erdogan concluded.

President al-Assad met Erdogan in the Syrian northern city of Aleppo in the
second half of last July.

The two sides expressed satisfaction at the great development of bilateral
relations between Syria and Turkey, and the positive impact of these
relations on enhancing stability in the region.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Syria in mid-May where he held talks
with President al-Assad, underlining joint willingness to push bilateral
relations further and achieve peace in line with the international
legitimacy resolutions and the land-for-peace principle. President Gul
described relations between the two countries as an example to be followed
among countries.

The growing development of political ties between the two countries gave
huge impetus to economic and investment cooperation.

Both countries signed agreements in maritime, airlines, energy, transport,
stock markets, tourism, and industry, in addition to the Syrian-Turkish
Partnership Council which is the offshoot of the Free Trade Zone Agreement
that came into effect in early 2007, and helped raise trade exchange volume
between Syria and Turkey to around $ 2 billions in 2008, and is expected to
hit $ 3 billions in 2009.

Haifa Said /Manal Ismael/Ghossoun/A.F.Zahra