Statements by the Turkish Minister of Trade showed his country’s interest in the commercial movement that takes place through the land crossings with Syria.
Turkish Trade Minister, Ömer Bolat, declared during the expansion announcement of the Ceylanpınar crossing in Şanlıurfa province, that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and Syria reached 2.4 billion dollars, and Turkey’s exports to Syria amounted to 2 billion dollars in 2023.
On September 12, Turkey announced the expansion of the Ceylanpınar border gate opposite the Ras al-Ain crossing in northern Syria, after months of expansion and modernization work on the crossing, costing 78 million Turkish liras, according to the Anadolu Agency.
Syria is connected to Turkey by several land crossings along a 900-kilometer border that links both sides. Some are closed while others remain active depending on who controls the Syrian side. Turkey restricts access via crossings controlled by the opposition forces but closes those controlled by the Syrian regime and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The border length in the areas controlled by the opposition forces is about 400 kilometers, according to Enab Baladi‘s observation through the Google map application.
A convoy of UN aid enters northern Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing – February 11, 2023 (Enab Baladi/Iyad Abdul Jawad)
Bab al-Hawa: UN’s gate to Syria
One of the most significant crossings between the Turkish and Syrian sides is the Bab al-Hawa crossing, 33 km north of Idlib province. It is an official commercial and civilian crossing, controlled by the opposition since 2012 and still under its control.
The crossing is managed by a body that identifies itself as civil and independent, while the area is administratively controlled by the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), the civil wing of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). It is the only international crossing located in areas under its control.
On the other side is the Cilvegözü crossing from the Turkish side, currently the only one approved by the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria in various controlled areas.
The Syrian regime and Russia tried to stop the entry of aid through the crossing by pressuring the United Nations, but Turkish efforts kept the crossing as the only gateway for these aids.
Four crossings in Aleppo countryside
The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) controls four crossings in the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operational areas.
The most significant of these crossings is Bab al-Salamah, located opposite the Öncüpınar crossing in Kilis province, five kilometers from Azaz town north of Aleppo. The Sham Legion, a faction of the National Army, managed the crossing until the Syrian Interim Government (SIG), the administrative umbrella of the National Army, took over in 2017.
Bab al-Salamah is an official crossing used for commercial and civilian passage, and United Nations humanitarian convoys used to pass through it until they stopped due to the non-renewal of a UN resolution in 2020.
The crossing contains a list of Syrian traders permitted by Turkey to cross and import various types of goods from the Turkish side.
Turkey established several other crossings in northern and northeastern Aleppo countryside after the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations.
Ankara opened the al-Rai crossing north of Aleppo, opposite the town of Çobanbey in Gaziantep province in 2017, for commercial and civilian movement.
After the Sultan Murad Division managed the crossing, the Interim Government took over in 2018, becoming the sole authority managing internal and external crossings in its controlled areas.
Turkey reactivated the Jarablus crossing after the Euphrates Shield operation, where the opposition, with Turkish support, gained control in 2016.
The city of Jarablus, northeast of Aleppo, is connected to Turkey by a commercial and civilian crossing, opposite the town of Karkamış in Turkey.
Initially, the crossing was used for Syrian returnees from the Turkish side. Later, the Turkish Ministry of Trade announced its transformation into an import and export crossing, allowing Syrian and Turkish traders to pass and carry out commercial activities according to conditions set by the Chamber of Commerce in Gaziantep province.
After the Olive Branch operation, where the opposition gained control of Afrin city with Turkish military support in 2018, Turkey established in 2019 the Olive Branch crossing in Hammam village in Jindires town, which is administratively affiliated with the city of Afrin.
The border village of Hammam is located opposite the Turkish town of Kumlu, in Hatay province, about ten kilometers from Jindires center.
Two crossings in the east
In northeastern Syria, Turkey and factions affiliated with the National Army control the cities of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain after the Peace Spring operation launched by Ankara in 2019 against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Peace Spring area contains the Tal Abyad crossing, north of Raqqa, opposite Akçakale, a town in Şanlıurfa province. It is a commercial and civilian official crossing.
Control over the crossing shifted between conflicting parties since the Syrian regime lost control of it in 2012.
The Turkish side closed the crossing during control by the Islamic State and the Syrian Democratic Forces. After Ankara regained control of the area following the Peace Spring operation, it reopened the crossing.
Turkey also established the Ras al-Ain crossing to be used as a commercial crossing from the Turkish side only, including medical and emergency uses.
The Kassab (Yayladağı) border crossing gate between Turkey and Syria – 2012 (Anadolu Agency)
Closed crossings
The Syrian regime and the SDF control major crossings with Turkey, yet Turkey only utilizes those under opposition control, whether by the National Army or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
The Kassab crossing north of Latakia connects the Syrian side to the Yayladagi crossing in Hatay province.
The Syrian regime regained control of the crossing in 2014 after the opposition in 2012, leading the Turkish side to close the crossing to date.
Previously, the crossing was used for travelers and commercial traffic between the two countries. Currently, it operates for Syrian returnees wishing to return without passing through opposition-controlled areas.
In northeastern Syria, the Syrian regime controls the Qamishli crossing in al-Hasakah province, and Turkey has closed the opposing Nusaybin crossing since 2011.
The crossing used to facilitate commercial and civilian passage, now limited to rare cases of humanitarian aid entry.
The SDF-controlled areas contain several crossings on the Turkish-Syrian border, including the Ain Diwar crossing in al-Darbasiya and the Mürşitpınar crossing in the Kobani/Ain al-Arab area.
Turkey closes all crossings under SDF control, viewing the group as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey.