Turkey said Wednesday it would begin exporting goods to Egypt via sea and overland through Iraq this week as it seeks to bypass existing trade routes through Syria following a breakdown in ties and rising violence in its southern neighbor. Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan also said Damascus had started allowing Turkish trucks to enter Syria Tuesday after blocking their entry last week in retaliation for sanctions imposed by Ankara. Turkey has been eyeing new trade routes to the Middle East ever since relations with Syria broke down following Ankara's increased criticism of President Bashar Assad over his bloody crackdown on a popular uprising that began in March. “It is very easy for us to bypass Syria but we had preferred not to do this. We had still wanted to transit our trade through Syria and let the Syrian economy make money out of this,” Caglayan told Turkish television channel CNBC-e. “But they wanted it this way. I say again, whatever they do they will suffer more than Turkey every time. To do trade with the Middle East and the Gulf, (we) do not have to go through Syria. Our A, B and C plans are already ready.” Caglayan said cargo ships would start traveling between Turkey's southern Mediterranean port of Mersin and Egypt's Alexandria Thursday. Trucks would also begin crossing into Iraq. Last week, Turkey announced a list of economic sanctions on Syria. Syria responded over the weekend by suspending a free trade agreement between the two countries and by imposing a 30 percent tariff on all Turkish imports and prohibitive duties on fuel and freight. Caglayan said Damascus had started blocking Turkish trucks from crossing into Syria last week in retaliation for Ankara's sanctions but begun allowing them to cross again Tuesday after Turkey decided to pursue alternative routes.
