President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin met on December 23 with the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar Jaafari, who began his work in Moscow in November 2022.

Welcoming the Syrian Ambassador, Sergey Katyrin noted, as he put it, “not the easiest situation” in the economies of the two countries, caused by unprecedented sanctions pressure. “But any difficulties mean new opportunities,” the President of the Chamber emphasized.

According to Sergey Katyrin, Russian society has a special attitude towards Syria, towards the Syrian people. “The events of recent years have made us especially close,” said the head of the Chamber. “This also applies to economic missions and the development of economic relations,” he said.

Restoring normal life in the cities of Syria will require efforts on the part of entrepreneurs, and Russian business is ready to participate in this, Sergey Katyrin noted. It is only necessary to orientate our business in relation to the conditions in which they will have to work, we need objective information for Russian entrepreneurs, said the President of the Chamber.

Sergey Katyrin expressed interest in expanding Russian-Syrian business cooperation in various areas of trade and noted the great efforts of the Russian-Syrian Business Council to deepen cooperation with Syria. The head of the Chamber noted that the Business Council needs help from the state: “Such a big job cannot be done alone,” he said.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation invited representatives of the Syrian side to participate in international specialized exhibitions at Expocentre, a subsidiary of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Depending on the subject, representatives of Syria can choose what suits them. It is possible to make a special advertising wall that will tell about the possibilities of Syria,” Sergey Katyrin said.

The Syrian Ambassador noted the long-standing trade and economic relations between Russia and Syria. “Russian consuls were in Aleppo back in the 18th century,” he recalled, noting the desire of his country to direct its efforts to the East, to what you call the Eurasian space, the head of the Syrian diplomatic mission said.

Bashar Jaafari worked as the Permanent Representative of the SAR at the UN Office in Geneva, in 2006 - 2020 he was Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the SAR to the UN (New York). In 2020-2022, he worked as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Compatriots Abroad. He headed the Syrian delegations at the talks in the "Astana" and "Geneva" formats, as well as at the Moscow consultations on Syria.

The meeting was attended by Vice President of the Chamber Vladimir Padalko, General Director of the Russian-Syrian Business Council Dr. Louai Yousef and others.

Press Service of the Chamber of Commerce