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Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Announces Near Opening of a New Consulate in Gaziantep
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates announced that it has begun taking concrete steps to establish a new Syrian consulate in Gaziantep, southern Turkey, to meet the demands of hundreds of thousands of Syrians residing there, who currently face difficulties in accessing the only operational consulate in Istanbul.
The director of the Consular Department at the ministry, Mohamed Yaqoub Al-Aamar, stated that the new consulate’s location in Gaziantep has been identified, and a site visit will be conducted soon to assess its readiness. However, no official date has been set for its opening yet. He added that Gaziantep is among the most densely populated Turkish cities with Syrians, making it necessary to establish a consular hospital to facilitate their procedures and alleviate the burden of long travel.
Al-Aamar explained that the ministry is planning comprehensive reforms in the performance of the Syrian consulate in Istanbul, aimed at developing service levels and improving overall performance. He pointed out that these measures include similar experiences in other countries with large Syrian migrant populations.
In a related context, a delegation from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing visits abroad, including Turkey and Germany, and is expected to later travel to Saudi Arabia, in order to enhance and improve the work of Syrian diplomatic missions and develop consular services for Syrian citizens there.
In Germany, Yaqoub revealed during an interview with the Syrian News Channel about significant achievements at the Berlin embassy following its recent reopening. The capacity for issuing passports has been increased to 1,000 per day, with around 200 powers of attorney and certifications processed, along with easing the process for obtaining certifications without prior appointments.
He also mentioned the launch of a modern electronic application aimed at eliminating middlemen, increasing the number of staff working at the Berlin and Bonn embassies, and developing the technical infrastructure to accelerate and simplify consular transactions.
Yaqoub confirmed that the technical and administrative team developed a comprehensive plan after evaluating the performance of both embassies, resulting in organizational and administrative reforms intended to improve service quality and handle the maximum number of transactions more quickly and easily.
Finally, the ministry reiterated its call to all Syrians abroad to avoid dealing with intermediaries or brokers, emphasizing that official channels have become more flexible and faster following recent updates.
It is worth noting that the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived in Berlin on October 15 to follow up on the preparations for reopening the Syrian consulate in Bonn, after completing the necessary maintenance and technical work.
