Turkey asks Syria to help speed up restoration of historical Ottoman sites

Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay yesterday asked Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Utri to help speed up the restoration of historical Turkish sites in his country. Gunay made the request after a meeting in Damascus of the Turkey-Syria Joint Commission on Tourism co-chaired by Gunay and his Syrian counterpart, Sadallah Agha al-Qalaa. Several Ottoman-era historical buildings in Syria are being restored thanks to Turkish sponsorship, most notably the Suleymaniye complex. But Gunay told al-Utri that the restoration has faced delays due to red tape and asked him to help avoid such problems. Al-Utri expressed a willingness to help, saying that such historical sites are important for Syrian tourism. He said that Syria is proud to be home to historical buildings erected by Mimar Sinan, the chief architect and civil engineer of 16th-century Ottoman sultans. "We appreciate Turkey's efforts to restore historical sites in Syria," he added.