Fourteen years after the eruption of the Syrian crisis, the country’s landscape—both political and physical—has been transformed in ways few could have imagined back in March 2011. While headlines have long focused on military clashes, displacement, and humanitarian tragedy, a quieter but equally consequential battle has unfolded in Syria’s economy and environment. Today, Turkish companies, many closely tied to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Turkish military, are reshaping Syria’s commercial and industrial sectors, while the country’s agricultural heartland faces devastation from wildfires, climate change, and neglect.
According to Hawar News, Turkey’s economic footprint in Syria has expanded dramatically since its first military interventions, which began with proxy forces in 2013 and escalated to open occupation of territories like Idlib, al-Bab, Azaz, Afrin, Serekaniye/Ras al-Ain, and Gire Spi/Tal Abyed in 2016. In these areas, Turkish authorities introduced systems mirroring those in Turkey—from education and municipal governance to healthcare and currency, even flying Turkish flags and mandating Turkish language instruction. Turkish businesses dominate the local economy, although precise figures on their numbers remain elusive.
The economic entanglement deepened after the fall of the Ba’ath regime on December 8, 2024, and the subsequent rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. The World Bank reported in February 2023 that Syria had suffered $11.4 billion in destruction across 14 major cities and economic sectors since 2011. As the dust settled, Turkish interests moved swiftly to capitalize on reconstruction and investment opportunities. On April 13, 2025, a Turkish delegation—including the governor of Antakya and 16 industrialists, economists, and merchants—visited Aleppo to meet with officials aligned with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Their mission: to assess and jumpstart industrial development in the war-ravaged region.
The result? A plan to renovate or build new industrial shops and factories in Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Damascus. Funding would come equally from Syrian and Turkish banks, but the lion’s share of profits—75 percent—would go to Turkish companies, which would control these shops for the next 15 years. The delegation’s visits included stops at iron and steel, cable, tractor, food, and textile factories, and meetings with local industry leaders.
On the diplomatic front, economic ties between Ankara and Damascus have become more formalized. August 2, 2025, saw the inauguration of a natural gas pipeline in Kilis, Turkey, designed to channel Azerbaijani gas to Syria. Just days later, on August 5, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Polat and the Transitional Government’s Trade Minister Nidal Shaar signed a protocol establishing a Joint Economic and Trade Committee. These moves, as reported by Hawar News, signal Turkey’s intent to cement its economic influence in Syria for the long haul.
The roster of Turkish companies now operating in Syria reads like a who’s who of the AKP’s favored conglomerates. Kalyon Holding handles construction, infrastructure, and energy projects, while Cengiz Energy is spearheading a $7 billion project to build an electricity network intended to supply more than half of Syria’s power needs. Enka Construction, Oyak Cement, Bursa Cement, and Emlak Konut Construction are active in rebuilding efforts, and Turkish telecommunications giants like Türk Telekom and the General Directorate of Post, Telegraph and Telephone have established operations in northern Syria. Turkish banks, including the Turkish Agricultural Bank, are preparing to open new branches even outside the previously occupied territories.
Major projects in the pipeline include the $4 billion expansion of Damascus Airport, which aims to accommodate 31 million passengers annually, and the establishment of new textile production centers by Kibas Holding. The potential for Turkish companies to participate in the estimated $400 billion reconstruction of Syria is enormous, with the volume of trade between the two countries already reaching $2.6 billion in 2024 and $1.9 billion in the first seven months of 2025. The stated target for 2025 is $5 billion in bilateral trade.
Yet, while Turkish economic expansion brings the promise of investment and jobs, it is not without controversy. Hawar News documents allegations of widespread pillaging in occupied territories, including the theft of historical artifacts and the destruction of 25 percent of local olive groves. Many in Syria see these moves as exploitation rather than partnership, raising questions about sovereignty, long-term control, and the equitable distribution of reconstruction profits.
Meanwhile, a different crisis is unfolding along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, where agriculture—long a backbone of the nation’s food security and rural economy—is under siege. Shafaq News reports that more than 10,000 hectares of forests and crops have been destroyed in recent wildfires, forcing over 1,100 residents to flee as flames encroached on populated areas. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) estimates that 40,000 hectares of farmland have turned to desert in the past decade, much of it in the coastal region, due to deforestation, overgrazing, wildfires, and soil degradation.
Environmental experts cited by Shafaq News warn that the coastal region’s green cover has shrunk by about 30 percent over ten years, driven by rampant tree-cutting for heating and a lack of effective environmental regulations. The consequences are stark: diminished agricultural productivity, reduced crop variety, and an exodus of younger generations from farming. Many young Syrians are abandoning agriculture altogether, leaving land idle or selling it as they seek better prospects in trade or abroad. This trend threatens not only the sector’s sustainability but also the food security of the broader population.
In response, the Agriculture Ministry in Damascus convened a workshop that recommended forming a technical committee to design an emergency reforestation and rehabilitation plan for areas hit by fire. Agriculture specialist Samer Nasr told Shafaq News that the sector faces “a dual threat of climate change and mismanagement,” adding, “Immediate replanting is needed to prevent permanent desertification.” Nasr also pointed to soaring input costs as a key factor in the sector’s decline, urging the government to provide direct subsidies and incentives for sustainable farming.
Experts are sounding the alarm that without urgent reforestation, robust farmer support, and stronger resource management, agriculture on the Syrian coast risks losing its role as a vital food source for the country. The stakes could hardly be higher: as external actors vie for economic dominance in Syria’s cities and industries, the nation’s rural heartlands face the prospect of environmental collapse and social upheaval.
As Syria stands at this crossroads, the convergence of foreign economic penetration and deepening environmental crisis serves as a stark reminder that the struggle for the country’s future is being waged not just on the battlefield, but in its factories, fields, and forests. The choices made now—by policymakers, investors, and local communities—will shape the nation’s recovery and resilience for decades to come.