Chambers Sign Cooperation Deal
The head of the Union of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, Alaa al-Ali, and the head of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Mohammad Choucair, signed a joint cooperation memorandum in Damascus on 15 July 2026 aimed at developing economic relations between the two countries.
Ministers in the Room
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of a meeting between Syrian Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar and Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat, who was in Damascus with an accompanying delegation.
Received by the President
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa received Bisat and the delegation at the Presidential Palace. The talks focused on enhancing economic and commercial cooperation and developing joint coordination mechanisms serving the interests of both countries.
Holding the discussions at the presidential level signaled the weight Damascus is placing on ties with Beirut, its main neighbor for trade and financial flows.
What the Memorandum Covers
The document sets out plans to develop trade and industrial ties, connect the two chambers' networks, and share market opportunities to boost bilateral exchange. It also provides for joint meetings and seminars, participation in international exhibitions, exchange of technical and training expertise, and the settlement of trade disputes through mediation and arbitration.
Part of a Wider Track
The memorandum builds on recent bilateral moves. On 2 July 2026, an agreement established a Syrian-Lebanese Higher Joint Committee to coordinate economic, trade, security and border matters between the two neighbors.
That committee is meant to give the two governments a standing channel for managing shared files, from the movement of goods across the border to financial and security questions that bind their economies together.
Taken together, the chamber memorandum, the ministerial meeting and the presidential reception point to a steady effort to rebuild the commercial relationship between Damascus and Beirut on a more formal footing.