A delegation of US officials and business leaders have arrived in Syria in a bid to deepen Washington's economic ties with Damascus.
The US Chamber of Commerce delegation, comprising more than 80 participants, including representatives of 50 companies, held a series of ministerial meetings in Damascus on Monday, Syrian state news agency Sana reported.
During the talks, the delegation highlighted the importance of investment and private-sector partnerships to advance the relationship.
“We encourage US businesses to invest in the Syrian market, which offers significant opportunities,” Jake McGee, US deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, said on Monday.
He added that Syria’s needs were substantial across several sectors, while changes to laws and investment procedures had made the market more accessible to investors.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani met Mr McGee in Damascus to discuss expanding co-operation between the two countries. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the pair had also addressed recent regional and international developments.
The delegation's visit follows the first US-Syria Business Forum, organised by the US-Syria Business Council and held in Damascus in July. The event brought together government officials, business leaders and investors to “explore emerging market opportunities”.
The US has been lifting sanctions from Syria since last year. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has been calling on nations around the world to invest in his country so that it can rejoin the global economy after 14 years of civil war.
Speaking in Dubai on Tuesday, Mr Al Shara said that “Syria has transformed … from an exporter of Captagon and humans, and a source of conflict in the region, to a stable point”.
“People have been talking about it as a trade route, and a supply chain for energy between the East and West,” he told the Arab Media Summit.
