Saudi Arabia announced $6.4 billion of investments in Syria on Thursday, reflecting the kingdom's deepening ties with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government as it seeks to rebuild Syria after a 14-year civil war.
The deals, unveiled by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih at a Damascus forum, are a major financial boost for Sharaa as he struggles to establish control over Syria, which was rocked this month by sectarian violence in the southwest.
Al-Falih said his visit to Syria had been ordered by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and de-facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, calling the trip "confirmation of the kingdom's firm and supportive stance towards sisterly Syria".
The investment deals included $2.93 billion for real estate and infrastructure projects and about $1.07 billion for the telecommunications and information technology sector, Al-Falih said.
Businesses involved in the plans include telecommunications firms the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and GO Telecom, digital security company Elm, cybersecurity firm Cipher, and Classera, an education technology company.
Al-Falih said 47 agreements would be signed over the course of the conference, with more than 100 companies participating.
Al-Falih also announced the establishment of a Saudi-Syrian Business Council at the event, which had been scheduled for June but was delayed due to the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Riyadh has been a key ally of Sharaa's government, which came to power after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December, using its diplomatic influence to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to lift sanctions.
Companies, many from Gulf states and Turkey, have expressed interest in rebuilding Syria's power generation capacity, roads, ports and other damaged infrastructure.
Syria has signed a $7-billion power deal with Qatar and an $800-million agreement with UAE-based port company DP World in recent months. U.S. energy firms are also set to draw up a master plan for the country's energy sector.
In April, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced they would pay off Syria's World Bank arrears, opening up the possibility of new lending.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 11st of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss improving bilateral relations and addressing key regional concerns, according to the Syrian presidency.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 10th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (10 November) caps a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled a long-time autocratic leader and has since toured the world as he seeks to end Syria's international isolation.
Venezuela says it has deployed a range of weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, and plans to mount guerrilla-style resistance in the event of an air or ground assault particularly from the U.S.
A passenger aircraft from Polish carrier LOT veered off a taxiway at Lithuania's Vilnius airport after arriving from Warsaw on Wednesday, halting all traffic, the airport operator said.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday morning (23 November), covering nearby villages in ash.
At least 36 people have died in a fire that ravaged a residential apartment complex on Wednesday according to John Lee the chief executive of Hong Kong.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
European Union ministers will urge senior U.S. trade officials to implement more elements of the July EU–U.S. trade deal on Monday, including cutting tariffs on EU steel and lifting duties on goods such as wine and spirits.
Google has announced a major update for its Pixel 10 series: owners can now send and receive files with Apple devices using AirDrop, without any collaboration from Apple. The new functionality applies to iPhones, iPads, and macOS devices, though for now it is limited to the Pixel 10 line.
European shares climbed on Thursday, as a relief rally swept through global markets after artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia reported strong earnings, while investors awaited the release of delayed U.S. jobs data.
Mainland China and Hong Kong equities slipped on Tuesday, Reuters reported, as investors grew cautious ahead of delayed U.S. economic data expected to clarify the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook.
A federal jury in California ruled on Friday that Apple must pay $634 million to Masimo, a medical-monitoring technology company, for infringing a patent related to blood-oxygen reading technology.
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