Arinc to inaugurate TRT Turk office in Damascus today

As part of his official visit to Damascus at the invitation of Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc had talks with both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Mahmout al-Abrash, the speaker of the People's Assembly of Syria, over the weekend. Arinc, who is also the state minister responsible for the state-run broadcaster Turkish Radia and Television Corporation (TRT), is slated to inaugurate the Damascus office of the TRT Turk channel, which will broadcast live from Damascus during the inauguration, today. The channel has recently launched a show featuring music and culture programs on Turkey's neighboring countries in an attempt to build a bridge across borders. Speaking to reporters following talks with Assad and Abrash, Arinc stated that during the meeting the Syrian president voiced his eagerness for deepening bilateral cooperation between the two neighboring countries in various fields. Al-Assad told him that all kinds of facilities would be provided to Turkish investors looking for investment opportunities in Syria, Arinc added. "Mr. President recalls with praise Turkey’s stance concerning both the Syrian-Israeli dispute and the Palestinian dispute,” he said. All the people in Syria, from the country's president to the citizents on the street, have friendly and brotherly feelings towards Turkey, he said. Commenting on his meeting with al-Abrash, Arinc said Turkish and Syrian parliaments enjoy strong relations. During their meeting, al-Abrash underlined the importance placed by his country on further improvement of ties with Turkey, Arinc added. Speaking on Saturday when he met with Bilal, Arinc emphasized that Turkey and Syria share the same goals in the political arena and foreign politics. Telling how a cooperation protocol had signed between Syrian institutions and the TRT and the Anatolia News Agency (AA) during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's December visit to Syria, Arinc said Prime Ministry Directorate General of Press and Information was also eager to sign such a protocol. Recalling a cooperation protocol signed between Syrian institutions and the TRT and the Anatolia news agency during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s December visit to Syria, Arınç said Turkey’s Directorate General of Press and Information was also eager to sign such a protocol.