Turkey and Syria Push to Join India-Europe Trade Corridor, Challenging Israel's Role

At the recent G7 summit in Paris, an unexpected guest was Syria's Finance Minister Ahmed Al-Sharaa and his aide Yasser Bernia. Behind the scenes, Syria and its patron Turkey proposed integrating themselves into the AIMEC dry trade corridor project linking India and Europe, which currently passes through the Gulf and Israel. This corridor is seen as a key element in any potential normalization between Riyadh and Jerusalem.

The initiative comes amid disruptions in supply chains caused by the Iran war and the Hormuz Strait crisis, prompting Syria and Turkey to position themselves as alternative routes for goods, including oil. Their attempt to insert themselves into the AIMEC project aims to compete with Israel's established role, potentially at Israel's expense.

However, despite Al-Sharaa's efforts at the G7, there appears to be little support for the Turkish-Syrian route. European countries are hesitant to allow Turkey's involvement due to concerns about increasing economic dependence on President Erdogan. Instead, major European nations favor the Israeli route, viewing it as an opportunity to include Palestinians in future economic rehabilitation efforts.

This approach is embodied in the "Peace Triangle" initiative by the regional organization ACOPIS, which promotes the Israeli corridor and infrastructure projects to integrate Palestinians and Jordanians. Israel has only recently become aware of the Turkish-Syrian maneuvering, and following Saudi Arabia's announcement of railway connections to Turkey, efforts are underway to mitigate potential damage to Israel's position in the corridor.