Turkey, Syria sign strategic deal, lift visa requirements

The Oncupinar border gate on the Turkish side of the Turkish-Syrian border yesterday witnessed a milestone in relations between the two countries, with the signing of a historic deal by the countries' top diplomats. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem officially signed an agreement in Gaziantep to end visa requirements between the two countries, a goal announced last month during a visit to Istanbul by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Davutoglu and al-Moallem also signed a bilateral cooperation agreement last month under which top Cabinet ministers from the two countries will meet each year in a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, similar to a strategic mechanism recently established between Turkey and Iraq. Yesterday, Aleppo, Syria and Gaziantep, Turkey were the two venues for the council's first ministerial-level meeting. Davutoglu and al-Moallem arrived in Gaziantep after walking across the border. Davutoglu was accompanied by nine other Cabinet ministers, including Interior Minister Besir Atalay, while the 15-member Syrian delegation, including al-Moallem, was led in the first part of the meeting in Aleppo by a Syrian deputy vice president. Following the first part of the meeting, Davutoğlu and al-Moallem, in the no-man's land between the Oncupinar and al-Salame border gates, together removed a symbolic barrier, marking the significance of the move by the two countries. The lifting of visa requirements is only one aspect of a planned multidimensional relationship between Syria and Turkey, whose final goal Davutoglu has dubbed "maximum integration." "Our slogan is a joint destiny, a joint history and a joint future," Davutoglu said, speaking in both Arabic and in Turkish at a joint press conference with al-Moallem following the first part of the meeting. Stating that Tuesday's meeting would lay the groundwork for a prime ministerial level meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Damascus in December, Davutolgu said, "Our two countries worked today like one delegation." Voicing hope that this strategic cooperation would be a model for regional countries and spread the spirit of integration, Davutoglu said, "The Turkish-Syrian relationship is not against any country, and is not an alternative to any other relationship." He added, "However, Turkey and Syria will build a future together." Davutoglu also said that with Turkey's accession to the European Union, Syria will become a neighbor to the EU, while the EU will become a neighbor to the Middle East, calling this an opportunity for all concerned. For his part, al-Moallem said, "Today is a very historic day. We set this example for all brotherly countries. We hope other counties can also develop strategic relations and that these relations include all areas." A defense cooperation agreement was also signed yesterday under which Turkey and Syria will hold joint military exercises.