UAE-Syria non-oil trade jumps to $1.4B amid surge in investment ties

At the inaugural Syrian-Emirati Investment Forum in Damascus, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Al Zeyoudi said non-oil trade between the United Arab Emirates and Syria reached a record $1.4 billion in 2025, up 132% from the prior year, and signalled further room for growth. Delegations from both countries signed preliminary agreements on dozens of investment projects across tourism, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, aviation and logistics. The forum, held at the Presidential Palace and attended by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and senior officials, included announcements that Emaar is studying projects worth up to $12 billion in Damascus and $7 billion on the coast, and Etihad Airways will resume Abu Dhabi–Damascus flights in mid-June.

A Syrian technical delegation is to visit the UAE to develop a comprehensive roadmap for implementing the new accords. The rapprochement reflects a rapid warming of ties after a period of Emirati caution toward the new government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa (a former al Qaeda commander), a process that accelerated amid regional tensions tied to the Iran war and attacks on the UAE. Damascus is actively courting foreign capital to rebuild an economy devastated by more than a decade of conflict and the lifting of most Western sanctions late last year, having also signed multibillion-dollar memoranda with Gulf investors and deals with firms such as Chevron, as reported by Al-Monitor

This story has also been reported by: SANA