First U.S. Business Mission
Ministerial meetings opened in Damascus on Monday, 14 September 2026, bringing Syrian officials together with a visiting U.S. economic delegation to discuss investment opportunities and deeper commercial partnerships. The sessions were organized by the international cooperation and American affairs departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and ran through the day.
Organizers described the visit as the first corporate mission of its kind to Syria, comprising 50 companies and more than 80 delegates drawn from a range of sectors.
Deals Already Signed
A senior U.S. State Department official told the meeting that several American firms had already taken initial steps into the Syrian market and signed agreements with local companies, naming Chevron, HKN, Visa and Mastercard among them.
He described the agreements as significant after decades of interrupted commercial ties, and said the dialogue now under way between American and Syrian investors could evolve into memorandums of understanding and, later, lasting partnerships.
Sanctions Backdrop
Officials tied the renewed engagement to a shift in relations that they said had opened doors closed for years, culminating in Syria's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. That step, one Syrian official said, created real space for recovery, investment and partnership.
The delegation's visit followed the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, which officials on both sides credited with reviving business contacts.
Investment Overhaul
The head of the Syrian Investment Authority said the country was entering a new economic phase, with a more open posture and closer integration into the international system. He said the authority was upgrading its partnership models, incentives and investor services.
"Syria today is not the land of opportunities but its factory," he told the opening session, adding that the visit was a chance to explore a market of growing importance to major global firms.
What Officials Promised
Syrian officials said the government was amending laws and simplifying procedures to support investors, and was working with the U.S. State, Treasury and Commerce departments to clear technical obstacles.
A U.S. official said Syria's needs were vast across every sector and encouraged American businesses to invest, pointing to opportunities opened by the country's revised investment rules.