Mersin Chamber and IOM Launch Business Advisory Center to Boost Syria

Project Launch and Key Parties

The Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry has joined forces with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to develop a project designed to strengthen economic ties between the Turkish city of Mersin and Syria, amid the ongoing rebuilding phase. An IOM delegation, comprising Programme Development Officer Erhan Sert and Project Officer Ivan Lwanga, visited the Chamber's headquarters and met with Board Chairman Hakan Safa Çakır and several Chamber members to discuss the project's scope and structure.

Mersin's Strategic Advantages

Participants in the meeting confirmed that Mersin stands out as a leading candidate city to host the initiative, citing several key factors:

• Its strategic geographic location on the Mediterranean coast.
• Established commercial ties with Syria.
• A well-developed logistics infrastructure.
• A sizeable Syrian community residing in the city.

The Business Advisory Center

The project centers on establishing a Business Advisory Center within the Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, intended to serve as a practical mechanism for increasing the volume of trade between Syria and Turkey. The center is planned to carry out a range of functions, including:

• Organizing direct business-to-business meetings between Turkish and Syrian companies.
• Hosting joint business sessions and working groups.
• Receiving trade delegations from both countries.
• Staging events that promote bilateral economic cooperation.

The Chamber's Vision and Future Expansion

Chamber Chairman Hakan Safa Çakır expressed the institution's full readiness to support the initiative, noting the potential to develop the center into a regional trade platform serving Middle Eastern markets. He also outlined future plans to extend the scope of economic cooperation toward European markets, giving the project a broader dimension that goes well beyond the bilateral Turkish-Syrian framework.