ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that Türkiye, under the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has launched a special program to support Syria’s reconstruction and development.
Speaking at the 41st COMCEC Ministerial Meeting in Istanbul, Erdogan said the initiative aims to strengthen Syria’s human and institutional capacity through training, expert exchanges, needs analysis, and feasibility studies.
“Through this program, which will contribute to strengthening human and institutional capacity, we will provide project support to Syria in areas such as training, expert exchange, needs analysis, and feasibility studies,” Erdogan said.
He described the suffering of Syrians over the past 14 years, noting that “nearly one million Syrians lost their lives in attacks by the Ba’ath regime and terrorist organizations,” and that millions were displaced, including 3.6 million who sought refuge in Türkiye.
“Throughout this process, we hosted Syrian refugees with a sense of hospitality,” he said, adding that Türkiye “endeavored to fulfill its duty of brotherhood and neighborliness in the best possible way.”
“Praise be to Allah, the oppressed Syrians finally achieved victory,” Erdogan stated, referring to what he called the Dec. 8 revolution that ended years of bloodshed and ushered in a recovery phase under the leadership of Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara.
He reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to assisting Syria in areas such as transportation, education, health, trade, and social services. “The support of our organization and the Islamic world is extremely important in ensuring the political unity and territorial integrity of the country,” he said, emphasizing that Syria’s integration with regional economies “will bring tangible benefits to both Syria and our region.”
