Discussions are underway to potentially create direct transport links between the north and Syria, the north’s ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli said.

Speaking to the north’s public broadcaster BRT, he said he had spoken about the possibility with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during Fidan’s visit to Cyprus earlier in the week.

In particular, he said, efforts would be made to create a ferry service between Famagusta and the Syrian coastal city of Lattakia.

“I particularly tried to learn whether the service between Famagusta and Lattakia would start again due to the new administration in Syria coming to power and their close relations with Turkey,” he said.

He added that ferry services linking Famagusta and Lattakia had existed in the past, and that that when the Republic of Cyprus had complained to the European Union about the service in 2007, the EU had said that the ports of Famagusta, Kyrenia, and Karavostasi are not subject to embargoes.

The European Commission wrote in October 2007 that it was “aware that in 1974, the government has declared the sea ports in the northern part of Cyprus prohibited and closed for all vessels.

“This was a unilateral decision of the Republic of Cyprus with consequences under domestic Cypriot law, but with no apparent consequences under international law. In other words, it is the Commission’s understanding that there is no prohibition under general international law to enter and leave sea ports in the northern part of Cyprus.”

It added, “against this background, the Commission is not in a position to intervene with the authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic in this matter.

“The issue should be solved bilaterally between the Republic of Cyprus and Syria.”

Discussions surrounding potential transport links between the north and Syria come as Turkey takes steps to rebuild its own links with the country, following the fall of its former dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Thursday that the first passenger flight between Istanbul and Damascus will take off in the coming days, with regular services possibly in place within the next few months.

“If we can establish a connection from Damascus to Istanbul, we will have opened them to the whole world. Our work in this direction continues. Our aim is to ensure continuity. I think it will be about three or four months,” he said.

Earlier, he had also expressed his intention to revive the Hejaz Railway, which links Istanbul and Damascus, and historically ran southward through Jordan’s capital Amman to Medina in Saudi Arabia.

“This project is not just about restoring a railway; it is about reconnecting a historical legacy” he said.

“This restoration will strengthen trade routes, enhance cultural ties, and place Turkey’s infrastructure on a global stage. It represents progress, unity, and shared prosperity,” he added.