Turkey’s Esra Construction to expand industrial city in Syria

Turkish company Esra Construction will carry out the expansion of Bab Al-Hawa Industrial City, an industrial zone in northwest Syria, as part of the war-torn country’s drive to revive its economy.

Preliminary studies indicate that the expansion could cover 255,000 square metres, with technical assessments continuing ahead of the implementation phase, the Syrian state-run Sana News Agency reported.

Officials from Syria’s economy and industry ministry meet with Esra executives to review the final stages of studies related to the expansion project, including engineering designs, implementation mechanisms and infrastructure requirements.

The discussions focused on roads, electricity, water and sewage networks, as well as measures to improve operational efficiency within the industrial zone.

Last month the ministry announced the opening of two food production facilities in the industrial city as part of a Syrian-Turkish investment partnership.

Turkey’s exports to Syria surged 70 percent year on year to $2.5 billion, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported in January, quoting data from the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly.

In July, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, a move likely to ease access to global funding.

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