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The Turkish and Syrian armies have finished building a floating bridge across the Euphrates River in Syria, Türkiye's ambassador to Damascus announced Sunday, in a project both governments say will ease travel for residents of Deir ez-Zor province.
Ambassador Nuh Yilmaz said the bridge was completed on Aug. 30, coinciding with Türkiye's Victory Day, and was carried out through cooperation between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Syrian army. The announcement was made in a post on X.
Yilmaz said the new structure was built to replace an earlier bridge that had been destroyed in flooding. He noted that the project marks the second bridge the two militaries have completed jointly, describing it as evidence of a broader shift in relations.
"The Turkish and Syrian armed forces are building the future together in peace as well," Yilmaz said.
Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra also confirmed the bridge's completion in a post on X, saying it was intended to ease the transportation burden on residents of Deir ez-Zor. He thanked his Turkish counterpart directly for his role in the effort.
"I extend my sincere thanks to my brother, Turkish Defense Minister Gen. Yasar Guler, for his intensive efforts to strengthen trust and cooperation between our countries," Abu Qasra said.
Deir ez-Zor, a province in eastern Syria straddling the Euphrates, has faced repeated damage to its river crossings.
The city's historic suspension bridge, built in 1927, was destroyed by shelling in 2013 during the Syrian civil war, and other crossings in the province were later damaged in fighting and flooding, leaving residents reliant on temporary or improvised means to cross the river.
The completion of the new floating bridge adds to a series of Turkish-Syrian military infrastructure projects along the Euphrates announced in recent months.
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