Türkiye has announced that passport-based crossings have officially begun at its land border gates with Syria, as part of the normalisation process following the country’s liberation last December.

According to an Interior Ministry statement posted on Wednesday on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, Turkish citizens and Syrian nationals who have obtained third-country citizenship will be able to enter and exit Syria through Türkiye’s land border gates, except those located in the Operation Peace Spring Zone.

Bashar al Assad, Syria’s ruler for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on December 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmed al Sharaa was formed in January.

More than a decade of war forced millions of Syrians to leave their country. Now, with the previous regime toppled and a new government in charge, crossings once flooded with refugees heading out are witnessing the reverse.

Transport corridors revived

Earlier this month, the Turkish trade minister said that Aleppo will become a strong logistics hub and Syria's transport corridors will become active again.

"Our trucks will no longer carry out trans-shipment or trailer changes at the Syrian border," Omer Bolat said in a round-table meeting with Syrian Economy and Industry Minister Nidal Al-Sha'ar.

Bolat said Türkiye is taking modernisation steps to ease border crossing with Syria to accelerate bilateral trade and cement safety.

He said Syria has the power to rebuild thanks to the hard work and productivity of its people, and the effect of that spirit will soon be felt more strongly from industry to agriculture, manufacturing and the service sector.