Latest news with #SANA
LBCI
2 hours ago
- Business
- LBCI
Saudi business delegation arrives in Syria eyeing $4 billion in deals
Saudi Arabia's investment minister led a business delegation travelling to Syria on Wednesday, where they were expected to sign deals worth around $4 billion as part of Riyadh's efforts to support the country's post-war recovery. The Gulf kingdom has been a crucial supporter of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government, which came to power after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December and is now seeking to rebuild Syria after a 14-year civil war. Saudi investment minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, who brought around 130 Saudi businesspeople to Damascus, is set to hold meetings with Syria's leadership ahead of a two-day investment conference opening on Wednesday, according to people due to attend. During his visit to Syria, Saudi Arabia's Al-Falih and his Syrian counterpart launched a cement factory project on Wednesday in Adra Industrial City in Damascus' countryside, the first white cement production project in the country, Syrian state news agency SANA said. Reuters
The Star
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Saudi delegation arrives in Syrian capital for investment forum aimed at boosting economic ties
DAMASCUS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A high-level Saudi delegation led by Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday to launch the Saudi-Syrian Investment Forum, in a move seen as a significant step toward restoring and expanding economic cooperation between the two countries, according to the state news agency SANA. The delegation, dispatched under the direction of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, includes more than 130 businessmen and investors. According to SANA, the forum aims to explore avenues for bilateral cooperation and facilitate the signing of agreements that support sustainable development and mutual economic interests between the two nations. As part of the program, the forum will include the launch of a white cement factory project in the Adra Industrial City in the Damascus countryside. In an interview Wednesday with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, Saudi Ambassador to Syria Faisal bin Saud Al-Mujfel said the forum reflects the kingdom's leadership's commitment to supporting Syria's recovery, institutional rebuilding, and territorial unity. The Saudi Ministry of Investment stated that the kingdom's investments are part of broader efforts by the kingdom to strengthen bilateral ties and contribute to Syria's economic stabilization and long-term recovery. On Tuesday, Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa received a separate delegation of Saudi business leaders, including ACWA Power Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan and Al Muhaidib Group Chairman Suleiman al-Muhaidib, to discuss deepening economic and investment cooperation. The Saudi Embassy in Damascus also announced that travel permits for businesspeople from both countries are now available, enabling mutual visits and exploration of investment opportunities across various sectors.
DW
6 hours ago
- Politics
- DW
Amid violence in Syria, pressure on interim government grows – DW – 07/23/2025
The latest violence in Syria shows just how far the country has to go to overcome decades of repression and division stoked by its previous rulers. Can the country's new government get the situation under control? Although the ceasefire in the southern Syrian province of Sweida is currently holding, the conflict between the groups involved is far from resolved. As a precaution, the Syrian government was sending Bedouin-Sunni families out of the area over the weekend, the country's state media outlet SANA reported. Altogether, around 1,500 people were transported out of the province by bus. Violence escalated after conflict broke out between local Druze fighters and Bedouin communities in Sweida around 10 days ago. According to the Netherlands-based monitor, Syrian Network for Human Rights, around 600 people have been killed so far. Another organization in the UK, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, has suggested the death toll could be twice as high. The deadly violence and large casualty count has put the country's new interim government, headed by former rebel militia leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, under even more pressure. It's most urgent task now is to end the violence in Sweida — permanently. That necessitates reconciliation between different community groups in the country, groups that have been split for decades, with the previous authoritarian Assad regime using their differences to remain in power. The violence in Sweida between Druze and Sunni-Bedouins is not the first of its kind since the Assad regime was ousted in December. In March, clashes between members of the Alawite minority and other Syrians saw around 1,500 people killed, including many civilians. It's possible that members of militias close to the Syrian government were responsible for some of the crimes committed in Alawite-majority areas. The Assad family, which ruled Syria for over four decades, were also Alawites, and some Syrians mistakenly see the whole community as supporting the brutal dictatorship. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video An investigation into the March events has just been handed to the interim government. The fact-finding committee concluded that more than 1,426 people were killed and that there was widespread criminal activity, including killing and looting, but that Syrian military commanders did not order any of these acts. The government will have to decide how to act on the report. Al-Sharaa faces significant challenges, said Middle East expert Carsten Wieland, who has written several books about Syria. Recent events have undermined al-Sharaa's claim that he can be president for all Syrians, in a unified country. "Many Syrians are growing skeptical of a state that apparently does not have its own security forces under control," Wieland told DW. This makes the fact-finding report all the more important, he added. "It is of enormous importance that there are public explanations about who is responsible for what and that they are held accountable." Syria still has a long way to go, confirmed Ronja Herrschner, a lecturer in political studies and researcher in Middle East studies at the University of Tübingen in southern Germany. "Still, despite all his shortcomings, I've heard that al-Sharaa continues to enjoy a fairly good reputation, at least among Sunni Syrians," said Herrschner. "He's still seen as the man who liberated Syria from the Assad regime. That's why he continues to enjoy a certain degree of trust among Sunnis. But that's not necessarily true for members of [Syrian] minority groups." According to an op-ed in the pan-Arabic media outlet, , al-Sharaa is facing serious pressure from both outside and inside his government. External pressure comes from former supporters of the Assad regime, forces affiliated with Iran — Assad's former backer — and criminal groups involved with drug trafficking, with Assad funding his regime with money from manufacturing and selling the amphetamine Captagon. Internal pressure is also coming from more hardcore elements among al-Sharaa's own supporters. These more extremist-Islamist forces are likely to clash with community groups who don't share their worldview. That, in turn, could draw in foreign actors and start a new civil war, the newspaper comments. Al-Sharaa's support base is actually quite thin, Wieland argue, with many of the fighters who support him thinking along sectarian lines. "This is the dangerous part of this younger generation," Wieland explained. "They constitute a political reality and the question is how al-Sharaa gets rid of these people without falling victim to them." After the various intercommunal conflicts, there are increasingly large numbers of community groups that also want to take revenge on others. "Al-Sharaa needs to get them under control too," said Wieland. Foreign allies are continuing to support al-Sharaa, said Herrschner. She explained that the US wants to withdraw from Syria altogether and can only do so if the country remains stable, a condition they hope al-Sharaa's interim government can achieve. "The same applies to the Gulf states," Herrschner told DW. "They too are naturally interested in stability in Syria. And that's why they too are counting on al-Sharaa." Wieland agreed, adding that Syrai's foreign allies don't want to see another proxy war starting there. "Israel is clearly pursuing the opposite goal at the moment," he said. "Namely to divide the society there, in order to weaken the country. This should raise alarm bells in a region where state failure and civil wars are widespread phenomena." This is precisely why the US recently opposed Israel's bombing of Syria, he added. Over the past week and a half, Israel again bombed Syria — including central Damascus — and said it was doing so in order to "protect" the Druze in Sweida. However, Israel then agreed to a ceasefire with the Syrian government, apparently under pressure from the US. An unstable and increasingly divided Syria is not in the interests of the US or the Europeans, said Wieland. "And at the moment, none of those countries sees an alternative to al-Sharaa."To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi delegation arrives in Syria ahead of expected $4bn trade deals signings
RIYADH: A Saudi business delegation led by Investment Minster Khalid Al-Falih has arrived in Damascus ahead of a forum set to generate trade deals worth SR15 billion ($4 billion). More than 120 potential investors have travelled to Syria, as the Kingdom continues to support the country's economic recovery and financial landscape. Syrian news agency SANA reported that the agreements will contribute to promoting sustainable development and economic interests between Syria and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-Syria Investment Forum is set to generate the multi-billion trade deals, Al Ekhbariya reported, while the Kingdom's Ministry of Investment wrote on X that the event is expected to witness significant participation from public and private sector entities on both sides. Saudi Arabia and Syria have made significant strides in restoring diplomatic ties in recent months, with the Kingdom reopening its embassy in Damascus in 2024 after a 12-year hiatus. In April, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced a joint initiative to settle Syria's $15 million debt to the World Bank as part of broader efforts to support the financial recovery of the war-torn nation. Last month, Al-Falih conducted a virtual meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad Al-Shaar, and discussed opportunities for collaboration in both public and private sectors. The forum is also expected to set out joint projects and the signing of memorandums of understanding between the two sides in various fields, SANA reported. That includes the launch of the Fayhaa White Cement Factory project in the Adra Industrial City in Damascus, which will expand cement production and support the country's reconstruction, the news agency said. The Syrian government this month also amended the country's investment law, in a move that is expected to support more domestic and foreign investment. During a visit by a Saudi delegation last week, Syria's Minister of Economy and Industry, Mohammad Al Shaar, said that the new law provides an attractive legal environment that promotes the entry of capital, SANA reported. The law will support the investment process and enhance the role of the private sector in reconstruction and economic development, the minister added.
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi delegation arrives in Syria ahead of expected $4bn trade deal signings
RIYADH: A Saudi business delegation led by Investment Minster Khalid Al-Falih has arrived in Damascus ahead of a forum set to generate trade deals worth SR15 billion ($4 billion). More than 120 potential investors have travelled to Syria, as the Kingdom continues to support the country's economic recovery and financial landscape. Syrian news agency SANA reported that the agreements will contribute to promoting sustainable development and economic interests between Syria and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-Syria Investment Forum is set to generate the multi-billion trade deals, Al Ekhbariya reported, while the Kingdom's Ministry of Investment wrote on X that the event is expected to witness significant participation from public and private sector entities on both sides. Saudi Arabia and Syria have made significant strides in restoring diplomatic ties in recent months, with the Kingdom reopening its embassy in Damascus in 2024 after a 12-year hiatus. In April, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced a joint initiative to settle Syria's $15 million debt to the World Bank as part of broader efforts to support the financial recovery of the war-torn nation. Last month, Al-Falih conducted a virtual meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad Al-Shaar, and discussed opportunities for collaboration in both public and private sectors.
