Trade Ministry

A view of Damascus is seen from the Mount Qassioun, which was opened to the public after the fall of the Assad regime, in Syria, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.

Türkiye signaled strong economic cooperation for Syria's reconstruction after the 61-year Baath regime fell in early December last year, leaving behind a country with significant economic and infrastructural problems.

The Trade Ministry has initiated efforts to facilitate pistachio imports from Syria following a sharp rise in domestic pistachio prices, a key ingredient in Turkish desserts like baklava.

The Turkish e-commerce sector has met its turnover target of 3.4 trillion Turkish Liras ($96.1 billion) in 2024, hoping to boost the industry's business volume to above 5 trillion liras this year, says Hakan Çevikoğlu, president of the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD).

Türkiye's exports increased by 2.5 percent last year from 2023 to $262 billion in 2024, according to data from the Trade Ministry.

In December alone, the country's exports amounted to $23.5 billion, marking a 2.2 percent increase.

The country's foreign trade deficit shrank 22.7 percent last year to $82.2 billion.

Teams from the Trade Ministry have intensified price checks across the country to see if retailers are passing the hike in minimum wage onto consumers.

This month, the minimum wage for 2025 was raised by 30 percent to a net of 22,104 Turkish Liras ($628) per month.

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat has stated that one of his ministry's priorities now is to increase trade with war-torn Syria.

"We are advancing our preparations for trade with Syria at full speed," Bolat said at an event in the northwestern province of Kocaeli.

He noted that exports were already allowed with Syria except for some products.

All Turkish ministries are poised to contribute to Syria's reconstruction by providing expertise and support in their respective fields after the ouster of the regime, in close collaboration with the authorities of the new interim government.

Syrians living in Türkiye push a cart loaded with their furniture at the Cilvegözü border crossing gate in Reyhanli on Dec. 12, 2024, on their way back to their country following the oust of Syrian president.

Expert tea brewers from the Black Sea province of Rize shared the secrets of traditional Turkish tea brewing with Japanese audiences in an event held between Dec. 11 and 13 as part of the Trade Ministry's Turquality promotion project.

The Finance Ministry's Tax Inspection Board has put companies that jack up prices despite no significant rise in costs and sectors where firms are suspected of engaging in cartel practices on its radar.

The board is working to identify firms that make profits above the sector average but failed to report their income properly in tax declarations.