Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA6352
2006-11-07 14:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:
TURKEY-SYRIA FTA TO ENTER INTO FORCE
how-toVZCZCXRO2106 RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHAK #6352 3111429 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 071429Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9841 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 1598 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1589 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006352
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2011
TAGS: ETRD PREL TU SY
SUBJECT: TURKEY-SYRIA FTA TO ENTER INTO FORCE
REF: ANKARA 1568
C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006352
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2011
TAGS: ETRD PREL TU SY
SUBJECT: TURKEY-SYRIA FTA TO ENTER INTO FORCE
REF: ANKARA 1568
1. (C) Turkish Foreign Ministry and Foreign Trade
Undersecretariat officials confirmed a November 6 Anatolian
News Agency report that the Turkey-Syria "free trade"
agreement signed in December 2004 will come into force
January 1, 2007. The agreement was also published in the
Official Gazette, which was the last step necessary to bring
the agreement into force. The announcement follows a meeting
of a Turkey-Syria economic commission on November 2 in
Gaziantep and Aleppo that also reportedly resulted in
agreement on border infrastructure projects.
2. (C) We had understood that the Turkish government was
delaying the agreement's entry into force until the European
Union moved ahead with its parallel association agreement
with Syria, ratification of which had been delayed for
political reasons. The MFA and FTU officials provided no
insight on why the GOT decided to move ahead to bring the
agreement into effect now. The agreement is limited in scope
and is not expected by Turkey's business community to result
in significant new bilateral trade (see ref for details).
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2011
TAGS: ETRD PREL TU SY
SUBJECT: TURKEY-SYRIA FTA TO ENTER INTO FORCE
REF: ANKARA 1568
1. (C) Turkish Foreign Ministry and Foreign Trade
Undersecretariat officials confirmed a November 6 Anatolian
News Agency report that the Turkey-Syria "free trade"
agreement signed in December 2004 will come into force
January 1, 2007. The agreement was also published in the
Official Gazette, which was the last step necessary to bring
the agreement into force. The announcement follows a meeting
of a Turkey-Syria economic commission on November 2 in
Gaziantep and Aleppo that also reportedly resulted in
agreement on border infrastructure projects.
2. (C) We had understood that the Turkish government was
delaying the agreement's entry into force until the European
Union moved ahead with its parallel association agreement
with Syria, ratification of which had been delayed for
political reasons. The MFA and FTU officials provided no
insight on why the GOT decided to move ahead to bring the
agreement into effect now. The agreement is limited in scope
and is not expected by Turkey's business community to result
in significant new bilateral trade (see ref for details).
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/
WILSON