Memorandum of Understanding Between Lebanon and Damascus Outlines a New Phase of Economic Cooperation

Tawfiq Dabboussi, president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and North Lebanon, received Mohammad Ayman Mawlawi, president of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry, at the head of a Syrian economic delegation, in the presence of Lebanese economic, commercial and industrial figures. The meeting discussed prospects for joint cooperation and saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing the economic partnership between the two sides.

The Syrian delegation included First Vice President of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry Ghassan Al-Kasm, Secretary-General and Syrian parliament member Abdullah Al-Zayed, in addition to Karim Khaja, Raif Al-Subaie and Anas Trabulsi. On the Lebanese side, participants included Tripoli Chamber vice presidents Ibrahim Fawz and Nakhil Yamin, treasurer Bassam Al-Rahouli, and board members Mohammad Abdulrahman Obeid, Hassan Ibrahim, Mustafa Al-Yamaq and Jean El-Sayed.

Also attending the meeting were Deputy Mayor of Tripoli Khaled Kabbara, President of the Special Economic Zone Hassan Dnawi, Vice President of the Tripoli Port Investment Authority Sarah Al-Sharif, President of the Franchise Association Yahya Qasaa, President of the Akkar Traders Association Ibrahim Al-Daher, President of the Zgharta-Zawiya Traders Association Ibrahim Moura, President of the Batroun Traders Association Gilbert Saba, and President of the Industrialists Association in Zgharta Jean Claude Basim, alongside a delegation from the Union of Businessmen for Support and Development (IRADA), as well as a number of businessmen, businesswomen and economic and social figures.

Dabboussi welcomed the Syrian delegation, stressing that the meeting represents a national and economic milestone from Greater Tripoli toward establishing a model partnership between the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry and the Greater Tripoli Chamber, based on parity, seriousness, trust and complementarity, in a way that serves the shared interests of the two countries.

Dabboussi said this partnership constitutes a foundation for building a solid economic relationship serving the industrial, productive, commercial and investment sectors, noting that the private sector has a pivotal role in launching a new phase of cooperation between Lebanon and Syria and in making use of the capabilities available in both countries.

He affirmed that Lebanon’s strategic location, from the perspective of Greater Tripoli’s vision, qualifies the city to become an advanced economic and logistics platform in the eastern Mediterranean, drawing on key assets, most notably the Port of Tripoli, the Special Economic Zone, the Rashid Karami International Fair, and President Rene Moawad Airport in Qlayaat-Akkar.

Dabboussi stressed the importance of developing the role of Martyr Rene Moawad Airport in Qlayaat so that it becomes a joint project serving Lebanon and Syria, citing successful international experiences of shared border airports that helped strengthen cooperation between countries and turn borders into economic bridges.

Dabboussi also presented the Greater Tripoli Chamber’s vision, based on building an integrated economic system that would make the city a center for investment, production and logistics services, emphasizing that this vision opens the way for broad partnerships between the Lebanese and Syrian private sectors.

He announced the chamber’s readiness to organize a Lebanese-Syrian national economic meeting aimed at discussing opportunities for cooperation, identifying joint projects, activating trade and investment exchange, and turning shared ideas into practical projects that serve the Lebanese and Syrian economies and open the way to Arab and international markets.

For his part, Mohammad Ayman Mawlawi, president of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry, expressed his appreciation for the invitation and warm welcome, affirming that the Syrian delegation felt it was among its own people and in its own country during the visit to Tripoli.

Mawlawi noted that relations between Syria and Lebanon are rooted in history, geography and shared interests, considering that the current phase requires stronger cooperation between the two countries, particularly at the economic, investment and industrial levels.

He said the visit represents the starting point for a new path of genuine partnerships between the private sectors in the two countries and opens horizons for businessmen and businesswomen to work together in various fields.

Mawlawi praised the role played by the Greater Tripoli Chamber, saying it offers a model for transforming energies and capabilities into real economic and development projects, and noting that the chamber’s projects carry dimensions that go beyond the local framework toward regional and international horizons.

He stressed that Tripoli reflects a bright image of convergence and cooperation, and that the future of the region is based on economic integration and the pooling of efforts between the Lebanese and Syrian peoples.

The meeting included an extensive discussion on ways to strengthen cooperation in the industrial and commercial sectors and exchange expertise and experience, before the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Greater Tripoli Chamber and the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry. The memorandum aims to enhance economic communication, exchange information and expertise, and develop bilateral relations in a way that serves shared interests.

The Syrian delegation concluded its visit with a tour of the Greater Tripoli Chamber’s projects, where it was briefed on the economic and development initiatives the chamber is pursuing and its future vision for strengthening Tripoli’s role as a pivotal economic hub.