Lebanese-Syrian Investment Forum Explores Ways to Develop Bilateral Partnership

Beirut, Sept 23 (KUNA) -- Participants in the Lebanon-Syria Investment Forum 2026, held in Beirut on Wednesday, discussed ways to build and develop a partnership between the two countries based on mutual respect for sovereignty, good neighborliness, and shared interests.

Speaking at the event, General Amer Al-Basbat, representative of Lebanese President and Minister of Economy, said the forum’s holding “carries significance that goes beyond economics and investment, and we are facing an opportunity to establish a new relationship between our two countries that is clearer and more balanced, based on mutual respect for sovereignty, good neighborliness, and shared interests.”

He added, “This new chapter requires substance, and above all, institutions that work, clear interests, and results that benefit both peoples.”

He pointed to the importance of moving from intentions to institutions, and then to implementation, noting that important steps have already been taken, such as the establishment of the High Lebanese-Syrian Joint Commission, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam for the Lebanese side and Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaybani for the Syrian side.

He noted that this commission “provides a more regular and sustainable framework for cooperation between the two countries,” and that work is currently underway to review and discuss more than 40 agreements and protocols between the two countries.

He also mentioned the creation of mechanisms for technical coordination between relevant ministries and departments to facilitate economic activity between the two countries, as well as the launch of the Lebanon-Syria Business Council to enable direct coordination between the private sectors of both countries.

Al-Basbat called for a shift from addressing problems to creating opportunities by facilitating trade flows, removing obstacles, and increasing the volume of exports and imports between the two countries.

He highlighted that the ports of both countries can serve as “key gateways linking the Mediterranean to land routes extending into the region,” noting that their value doubles when connected to a modern and efficient network of roads, railways, and energy transmission lines.

He considered that transport, transit, and infrastructure projects “acquire a dimension that goes beyond facilitating bilateral trade by opening internal corridors and linking regional markets to each other, thereby giving Lebanon and Syria a role in emerging trade networks.”

The Lebanese Minister of Economy emphasized that the role of governments lies in paving the way for economic activity, stressing the need to remove obstacles, simplify procedures, reduce trade costs, provide a clear and stable legal framework, ensure fair competition, and protect investors’ rights.

He added that the role of the private sector relies on discovering opportunities, building partnerships, mobilizing financing, and creating jobs.

Addressing Arab and international investors, Al-Basbat said, “If we combine the locations of our two countries, their ports, border crossings, human resources, and the capacities of their private sectors, we can create projects of significant economic and regional viability.”

He concluded by saying, “Lebanon wants a stable, secure, and prosperous Syria, because Syria’s stability and prosperity are a Lebanese national interest, and a stable and prosperous Lebanon is also an interest for Syria.” He pointed out that the goal is to transform the location of Lebanon and Syria into “a platform for production, trade, and investment, linking their ports to internal routes and regional markets.”

For his part, Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry Mohammad Al-Shaar said in his speech, “The first Syria-Lebanon Investment Forum represents an opportunity to transition the economic relations between Syria and Lebanon from a relationship dictated by geography to a partnership based on will and shared interests.”

He stressed the necessity of building this partnership on clear and balanced foundations, with full respect for the sovereignty of both countries, their independent decision-making, and the interests of their peoples, considering that building shared interests “can constitute a sustainable path to building trust between the two countries.”

He noted that “the Syrian government delegation participating in the forum is the broadest government delegation to visit Lebanon since the liberation,” clarifying that “geographic proximity alone does not create economic integration; it requires clear rules, reliable institutions, effective crossings, banks that finance trade, companies that invest, and capital capable of assessing risks.”

He pointed out that Lebanon possesses strengths in services, business, education, health, entrepreneurship, and a wide network of businessmen around the world, while Syria has a large market, an expandable productive base in agriculture and industry, a geographic location that provides it with land access to regional markets, and a wide network of Syrian businessmen in the region and worldwide.

Al-Shaar believed that “combining established Lebanese networks with Syrian networks formed in recent years, and linking them to production, investment, and markets within and outside both countries, can create a network of business, production, and trade extending from the Mediterranean to regional and global markets.”

He highlighted the potential to develop shared value chains in transport, ports, logistics, agriculture, food industries, tourism, health, and technology, emphasizing that “integration does not mean that either country abandons its advantages, but rather increases their value by linking them to the other party’s strengths.”

He concluded by saying that “a Syria strong economically is an interest for Lebanon, and a stable and prosperous Lebanon economically is an interest for Syria.” (End) A.Y.B./T.M.A