Syria hosts first trade fair in five years, country's reconstruction begins

The 59th International Trade Fair has opened in the Syrian capital Damascus, the first in five years in this war-torn country, reports the Patria agency.

Companies from more than 40 countries around the world are participating in the fair, and for the first time since 1954, foreign exhibitors will be allowed to sell their products in addition to exhibiting them.

Although Syria is subject to international economic sanctions due to the war in the country, some European Union countries, which together with the USA have imposed sanctions on Syria, such as Germany, France, Spain, and the Czech Republic, as well as Arab countries like the UAE and Jordan, which also do not support the current government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad but officially support the opposition, will have their representatives at the fair.

In addition to the aforementioned countries, Russia, China, and Iran, countries that have supported Assad since the beginning of the war, as well as Japan and India, will be represented by the largest number of their businessmen at the fair.

The fair was opened by Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis, who said that the fair represents a clear sign that life in Syria is slowly returning to normal.

One of the main topics at the fair is the reconstruction of Syria. The Syrian government is already negotiating with companies from partner countries, primarily Iran, regarding the reconstruction of destroyed cities over which government forces have regained control after fierce fighting.

International humanitarian organizations have announced that in the last five months, more than 600,000 people have returned to their homes from refugee camps, with the largest number returning to Aleppo.

- The trade fair aims to send a message that the reconstruction of Syria has begun and that Assad has emerged as the winner of the long-standing war - Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs in Beirut, told Bloomberg.