By Laith Al-jnaidi
DAMASCUS (AA) - Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr and his Saudi counterpart Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser agreed on a roadmap to enhance rail and road connectivity between the two countries.
The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the second conference of Transport Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Türkiye, according to a statement by Syria’s Transport Ministry on Saturday.
The statement said both sides agreed to “hold a technical meeting in Saudi Arabia for land transport cadres in March.”
It added that discussions also covered existing cooperation between railway and highway teams in the two countries.
The Syrian minister extended an invitation to his Saudi counterpart to visit Damascus to “crown the outcomes of these discussions by realizing the visions of the political leaderships of both countries in the field of rail connectivity.”
According to the statement, these visions aim to “enhance the use of the distinctive geographical locations of both countries and facilitate the movement of goods between Europe and the Arabian Gulf via railways, in line with a roadmap that meets the requirements of regional and international economic integration.”
The statement also noted that the Saudi minister expressed gratitude for the reopening of Syrian airspace to Saudi aircraft, voicing hope that the number of flights would increase when conditions allow.
A week earlier, Riyadh and Damascus signed five agreements across various sectors worth about $5.3 billion, in the presence and under the patronage of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, aimed at supporting Syria’s aviation, telecommunications, water, and other sectors.
*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul