LONDON: Turkish and Syrian forces have finished construction of a floating bridge across the Euphrates River in Syria.
Turkiye’s ambassador to Damascus, Nuh Yilmaz, said in a message posted on social media platform X that the bridge was completed on Aug. 30, Turkiye’s Victory Day, through a cooperative project involving the Turkish Armed Forces and the Syrian Arab Army. The new structure replaces a previous crossing destroyed by flooding in May, he added.
Syria’s defense minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, said the new bridge would help ease transportation difficulties for people in Deir Ezzor, the eastern Syrian city that straddles the Euphrates, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The minister thanked his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, for his efforts to enhance trust and cooperation between the two countries.
Yilmaz said the crossing was the second bridge jointly built by Turkish and Syrian forces, describing this as a visible sign of expanding ties between the countries.
“The Turkish and Syrian armed forces are building the future together in peace as well,” he wrote on X.
The project comes amid deeper cooperation between Ankara and Damascus after the fall of former president Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024, and the installation of Syria’s new authorities under President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
Turkiye has emerged as a leading supporter of the new Syrian government, pledging military assistance, equipment and institutional support under a memorandum of understanding signed in August 2025. Military cooperation has since expanded beyond diplomatic backing to practical support, including training and joint infrastructure projects.
Turkish officials said the broader agreement is intended to strengthen the Syrian armed forces, support long-term stability in the country and assist its counterterrorism efforts as state security institutions are rebuilt after years of civil war.
