Miro visits Ankara on July 28th

Syria's prime minister Muhammad Mustafa Miro will hold an official visit to Turkey, which is the first by a Syrian prime minister in decades in order to discuss prospects of economic and trade cooperation.

Well-informed sources said an initial date was set for the visit on July 28th. The sources expected Miro to be accompanied by a delegation representing the ministers of oil, communications, tourism and health and a protocol on tourism cooperation to be signed between the two countries, as well as agreements of customs cooperation; double taxation prevention and another agreement on health cooperation.

Miro's visit to Ankara prepares for the forthcoming visit by President Bashar al-Assad before the end of the current year. The visit of the Syrian prime minister to Ankara was postponed twice. The first delay was last years because of the sickness of the former Turkish prime minister Polent Acawit and the second because of the Turkish elections by the beginning of 2003.

If any government shuffle is not made in Syria, Miro's visit will give a push forward for Turkish- Syrian relations.