Al-Sharaa made the remarks during a meeting in Damascus with a delegation from the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
He said history shows that strong Syrian-Egyptian cooperation is essential for economic, security, and strategic stability in the region.
“The Syrian-Egyptian relationship is not a luxury; it is a duty, and it must be on the right path,” Al-Sharaa said, noting that both countries face similar challenges and that closer cooperation would strengthen Syria, Egypt, and the wider Arab world.
He said Syria has moved past many difficult phases, especially after the lifting of sanctions, which has created wide investment opportunities despite the extensive damage caused by the war. “There is massive destruction, but every instance of destruction also contains an investment opportunity,” he said.
Al-Sharaa stressed that Egyptian firms should be among the first to contribute to Syria’s reconstruction, pointing to Egypt’s experience over the past decade under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in infrastructure and energy development.
He said Syria’s current policies focus on restoring security and boosting economic growth, with greater reliance on the private sector and a reduced role for the state in markets to attract both local and foreign investment.
“Economic stability in Egypt and Syria means stability for the entire region,” he said, adding that such stability would also benefit political, security, and strategic interests.
The Syrian president outlined priority areas for cooperation, including ports, Mediterranean gas exploration, rehabilitation of the oil sector, railways, and fibre-optic networks linking Europe and China through Syrian territory.
He also highlighted the importance of creating a shared food supply system with Egypt and Iraq to reduce reliance on costly imports.
Al-Sharaa thanked the Egyptian people for hosting Syrian refugees during the war, describing Egypt as a place where Syrians felt they were “among their own families.”
During the visit, FEDCOC President Ahmed El-Wakil said Egypt is ready to place its full expertise and capabilities at Syria’s disposal to support reconstruction, with the private sector playing a central role. He said Cairo is prepared to transfer its experience in rapid infrastructure development, including electricity, roads, ports, water and sanitation, fourth-generation new cities, industrial zones, logistics centres, and major national projects.
El-Wakil said he had been tasked by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel Al-Wazir, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and Minister of Investment and External Trade Hassan ElKhatib to convey Cairo’s readiness to share its experience in fast-track infrastructure development with Syria.
He noted that Egyptian expertise has already extended beyond Egypt to Africa and to reconstruction projects in Arab countries such as Iraq and Libya, through partnerships with local companies that build capacity and create jobs, often supported by development financing with long grace periods.
This model, he said, also includes trilateral cooperation through integrated industrial and logistics hubs, shared production inputs, and joint manufacturing, enabling partners to expand exports to nearby markets by using free-trade agreements and geographic proximity.
El-Wakil called on Syrian and Egyptian business communities to form partnerships in reconstruction, industry, agriculture, services, and exports, with job creation as a key goal.
The remarks were made at the Egyptian-Syrian Business Forum, organized by the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce in cooperation with its Egyptian counterpart.
The forum brought together senior officials and business leaders from both countries and followed the signing last week of two memoranda of understanding between Cairo and Damascus in the energy sector: one to supply Egyptian gas to Syria for electricity generation through Egyptian infrastructure, and another to meet Syria’s petroleum needs.
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