DUBAI — United Arab Emirates-Syria non-oil trade skyrocketed 132% to a record $1.4 billion in 2025, with ample room for growth, a UAE minister declared Tuesday at the inaugural Syrian-Emirati Investment Forum in Damascus. The event underscores fast-thawing relations between the nations.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi highlighted the surge’s potential for deeper bilateral commerce. Over two days at Damascus’s Presidential Palace, attended by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and top officials, both sides inked preliminary pacts on dozens of ventures in tourism, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, aviation, and logistics.
The UAE, wary of Islamist groups in the region, has lagged behind Saudi Arabia and Qatar in embracing Sharaa’s government, once led by the ex-al Qaeda figure. Ties warmed sharply amid the Iran war, with Iranian strikes on the UAE and Sharaa’s public support for Abu Dhabi. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash praised Syria in April as a key Arab ally showing positivity toward the Emirates.
Real estate mogul Mohamed Alabbar, Emaar’s founder, revealed studies for up to $12 billion in Damascus projects and $7 billion along Syria’s coast. Syrian Economy Minister Nidal Shaar announced a technical team to visit the UAE soon, crafting a full roadmap for the deals.
Etihad Airways will restart Abu Dhabi-Damascus flights in mid-June, ending a 2012 suspension tied to Syria’s war. Damascus courts Gulf cash, including Saudi, Qatari, and recent U.S. pacts like Chevron’s offshore oil exploration, to rebuild an economy gutted by over a decade of conflict and now-easing Western sanctions.