Beirut, Sept. 23 (SANA) The Syrian-Lebanese Investment Forum opened in Beirut on Wednesday to discuss investment, reconstruction and ways to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
The forum brings together government officials and business representatives, with sessions focusing on investment opportunities, reconstruction, sustainable development, transport and broader economic cooperation.
Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar said the first Syrian-Lebanese Investment Forum offered an opportunity to reshape economic ties between the neighboring countries into a partnership based on shared interests and mutual choice.
Speaking at the forum, al-Shaar said such a partnership should be built on clear and balanced foundations, with full respect for the sovereignty, independent decision-making and interests of both countries.
He said closer economic ties could also help build lasting trust, arguing that the two countries should move beyond their longstanding geographical and historical links toward a more clearly defined institutional relationship.
Al-Shaar said the Syrian delegation attending the forum was the largest government delegation to visit Lebanon since Syria’s liberation, adding that geographical proximity alone was not enough to create economic integration.
Effective border crossings, reliable institutions, banks capable of financing trade, investment-ready companies and capital able to assess risks were all needed to underpin stronger economic ties, he said.
Complementary strengths
Al-Shaar said Lebanon had strengths in services, business, education, healthcare and entrepreneurship, as well as an extensive global business network. Syria, he said, offered a large market, potential for expanded agricultural and industrial production and overland access to regional markets.
He also pointed to Syrian business networks that developed abroad during the years of the Syrian revolution, saying thousands of Syrians had established companies, built commercial relationships and gained experience in new markets.
Combining those networks with established Lebanese business connections could help create trade, production and investment links extending from the Mediterranean to regional and global markets, he said.
Al-Shaar identified transport, ports, logistics, agriculture, food industries, tourism, healthcare and technology as sectors where the two countries could develop joint value chains.
He said stronger ties with Syria could give Lebanese businesses access to a nearby market, overland routes to the wider region and opportunities in investment, production, services and logistics. Lebanon, in turn, could provide Syria with business networks, services and expertise that complement its productive capacity.
Economic reforms
Al-Shaar said Syria’s new economic model was based on a free economy, competition and private-sector partnership, with the state acting as a regulator and facilitator rather than competing with investors.
Syria was working to improve its legislative and institutional framework, reform the financial and banking sectors, strengthen governance, transparency and compliance, and improve the investment environment, he added.
Those changes could expand Syrian-Lebanese cooperation in services, marketing, distribution, investment, production and access to markets, he said.
“An economically strong Syria is in Lebanon’s interest, and a stable and economically prosperous Lebanon is in Syria’s interest,” al-Shaar said, calling for a new economic relationship that strengthens both countries while respecting their sovereignty and independence.
The delegation includes Tourism Minister Mazen al-Salhani, Health Minister Musab al-Ali, Agriculture Minister Basel al-Sweidan and Transport Minister Yarub Badr, as well as representatives from the ministries of Energy and Emergency and Disaster Management. Also attending are the heads of the Syrian Investment Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority, Syria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Beirut and the head of the Syrian-Lebanese Business Council.
ABD
