Turkish Consulate in Lattakia is opened

Senior Syrian and Turkish officials and diplomats on Monday evening celebrated the opening of the second Turkish consulate in Syria to boost bilateral relations between Damascus and Ankara.

Headquarters of the Consulate opened in Lattakia on the Syrian coast with the attendance of Lattakia Governor, Zahed Hajj Mousa, Secretary of Lattakia Branch of the Baath Arab Socialist Party, Nabih Ismael, Turkish Ambassador to Damascus Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, Turkish Consul General to Aleppo Hulusi Kilic and Honorary Consul to Lattakia Nazih Abdulah.

Celikkol said; "Opening the Consulate will enhance and develop the friendly relations between Syria and Turkey, open new prospects for cooperation and increase volume of the commercial exchange between them." For his part, Hajj Mousa spoke about social and historical ties connecting the two neighbouring countries and the remarkable development of the Syrian-Turkish relations that positively influences both countries.

Nazih Abdullah emphasized the important role the consulate would play to enhance and develop the standing relations in all domains.

Turkey has two consulates in Syria, in Aleppo and Lattakia. One of them is honorary.

Earlier, President Bashar al-Assad issued decree No. 251 for the year 2004 on opening the first Syrian General Consulate in the Turkish city of Gaziantep.