Syria is becoming a “great opportunity” for other countries in the region, President Ahmad Al Shara said in Dubai on Tuesday, highlighting new emerging trade routes as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
His country has been at the heart of recent regional discussions over finding alternative routes for trade and oil in the Middle East, with talks emerging over linking its ports on the Mediterranean to Gulf states through Iraq.
“Syria turned into a topic of discussion among the media and politicians, from a problem to a great opportunity that people could benefit from and could participate in the strategic security of the region and trade routes,” Mr Al Shara told the Arab Media Summit in Dubai.
“Syria has transformed … from an exporter of Captagon and humans, and a source of conflict in the region, to a stable point, and people have been talking about it as a trade route, and a supply chain for energy between the East and West.”
He also said that Syria has the ability to feed 75 million people "and our population is 25 million", adding that "with proper agricultural tools, Syria can feed around 100 million people".
One of the biggest investors in Syria is the UAE. Syrian officials have received Emirati business delegations and met representatives of Abu Dhabi Ports to discuss the development of ports, border crossings and free zones since Mr Al Shara took power in December 2014. In May, the Syrian government and DP World signed an initial agreement worth $800 million to develop the port of Tartus.
Mr Al Shara welcomed the deal, saying the Emirati group had a “vision of seeing the importance of this port and tying in Jebel Ali to the port even before the issues in Hormuz”.
“This location was a historic hub for servicing the region's trade routes,” he added. The Syrian President said the recent lifting of US sanctions meant Syria “was reborn”. “I think we're on the right path,” he added.
