Macron gives Syria’s reconstruction a vital boost

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French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Damascus last week was the first by an EU head of state since the fall of the Assad government in 2024. Both sides agreed to reappoint ambassadors after more than a decade without formal diplomatic relations. The visit was widely reported as a diplomatic milestone but the more significant detail was who traveled with Macron: officials from the French Development Agency and executives from CMA CGM, Ellipse Projects and TotalEnergies.

That delegation is the part of the story worth examining because it points to a shift from statements of support to actual capital commitments. The question is whether this visit marks a genuine turning point in Syria’s economic recovery or whether it is simply the latest in a series of announcements that have not yet translated into results on the ground.

The clearest evidence of change is the capital that has already moved. CMA CGM has invested about $270 million in the port of Latakia, which it operates under a 30-year concession signed in May 2025, with a further $235 million planned. The company has also agreed to handle air cargo at Damascus International Airport and to operate two dry ports near Damascus and Aleppo. For an economy with a gross domestic product of about $21 billion, these are substantial commitments. In reconstruction economies, the first serious commercial investment tends to matter more than its size because it establishes that the country’s assets can be priced, financed and insured by outside parties.

In reconstruction economies, the first serious commercial investment tends to matter more than its size Zaid M. Belbagi

In reconstruction economies, the first serious commercial investment tends........

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