So let's start with the new things I noticed about Aleppo during my two month stay in the city last summer. Considering that I usually go once a year you wouldn't expect to see much more than new buildings springing up around the city and maybe a couple of new factories on the outskirts. Although that was the case before, this time the pace of growth grabbed my attention. I didn't manage to visit Syria in 2008 so it may be safe to say that's why I see things differently having not been in two years previous to my recent visit. Couple that with national economic growth exceeding expectations year on year and you will understand why the changes in the city caught my eye. There are 8 new malls planned to open soon with 3 or 4 already open to the public and nearing completion. Having visited 3 of the new malls I must say I'm impressed. You have everything you can ask for and the prices are decent too (watch out for pictures by me :) ). The streets are also notably clean now. Khaldieh is probably the only area that still needs a good clean. Besides the government spending more, private companies are more free now making such changes increasingly possible. While Syrians may see the driving chaotic in most places I think it is better than the other Eastern nations I've been to. Driving in neighbouring Lebanon is notably worse which I never expected considering how the two countries are very similar. Road rules have gone tough recently and hard measures have been introduced to get people into the habit of obeying them. Anyone who doesn't listen to orders by the traffic police will have their cars taken away and they have to pay a fine before claiming their cars back. Another convenient change which was easily noticeable was the fact that most people running businesses were claiming great success and unemployment was greatly reduced. With most Syrians being young it may be a challenge to keep this up but Syria has done more than enough year on year. With all this happening during the credit crunch you have Western nations and China investing more in Syria and I hear that there is a whole town for Chinese workers near Damascus contributing mainly towards communications and engineering nationwide. Whilst driving around Aleppo I also noticed the boom in the banking and insurance sectors, particularly Islamic banking which is also increasingly used in the West. The housing market is also very lively and new neighbourhoods are always being built despite the global economic downturn. There was an unofficial report stating that during the global recession, which started in the United States, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon will be the key nations having the most potential and the three countries did enjoy positive growth throughout.
Strikingly obvious, especially since Aleppo is very close to the Turkish border, is the recent strong Syrian-Turkish co-operation. A few years back Syria and Turkey have been signing economic agreements but it wasn't until two years back where relations became really strong. The two countries have signed a free trade agreement and no visa is required for nationals to travel between the countries. While I was in Aleppo I noticed how Turkish lorries have been filling the highways more than ever before delivering Turkish goods. More nations have been reaching out to Syria due to the high potential with it's highly educated workforce raised with an attitude of taking on any challenge independantly and logically. This Also explains the success of businesses in Syria with highly strategic thinking employed. Venezuela is another country signing agreements with Syria similar to Turkey. Although Saudi Arabia has been on gritty terms with Syria politically, the two countries last year have revived friendly co-operation which is important as the two countries have always had strong economic ties. Turkey, however, has been moving with Syria at a very fast pace since it has the advantage of sharing it's longest border with the country.
Overall Syria has been doing very well. Every year I see improvements and for a country bordering war torn Iraq to one side and an unpredictable Lebanon on the other this is an even bigger achievement.
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