Turkey bypasses Syria to reach middle east via Egyptian ports

The first Ro-Ro ship to take Turkish goods to Gulf countries via Egypt is to leave the Port of Mersin on April 26. The much-awaited Ro-Ro line, taking the place of the Syrian route that has become too costly for Turkish exporters because the Syrian side significantly increased fees to transship goods, will allow Turkish exporters to reach not only Jordan and Gulf countries on the Arabian peninsula, but also African countries with relative ease.One major defect of the Ro-Ro option instead of the Syrian route was the cost; the Egyptian route using Ro-Ro costs exporters around $1,000 more than the Syrian route. But Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan's words in the press conference yesterday were reassuring: "Our exporters will not suffer any inconvenience. Their costs will not be greater than when they take the Syrian route." As per the memoran-dum of understanding prescribing cooperation in Ro-Ro and transport by land, signed by Caglayan and Galal Moustafa Saeed, Egypt's minister of transport, a Ro-Ro line between the ports of Mersin and Alexandria will enable Turkish trucks to travel to third countries by way of Egypt. Caglayan believes the Egyptian route, thanks to which Turkish trucks will reach Saudi Arabia in three-and-a-half days, will be one of the major export routes for Turkey in the future, allowing Turkey to access African market easily.With that in mind, Turkey is planning to establish a logistics center in Alexandria in a short time, Caglayan announced.