SYRIA’S TRANSITION:
Transition Meetings:
March 24:
Syrian Petroleum Company CEO Yousef Qablawi traveled to Houston, Texas, USA and participated in the CERA Week energy conference on March 24, participating in many bilateral meetings on its sidelines, including with Richard Thomas, Director of Acquisitions & Divestitures and Conoco Philips.
The Director of Syria’s Investment Authority, Talal al-Hilali, led an SIA delegation to Paris, France and participated in meetings with the President of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, Claudia Salomon, alongside President of the Syrian-French Business Council, Jamal Qasimi, and the French Chargé d’Affaires in Syria, Jean-Baptiste Faivre.
The SIA delegation also met that day with officials from the World Bank — all on the sidelines of the International Arbitration Week.
Later that day, SIA Director al-Hilali also participated in a conference in Paris focused on investment opportunities in Syria.
A meeting of the Turkish-Syrian Joint Committee for Land Transport was convened in Gaziantep, Turkey on March 24 to discuss proposals to move towards a “direct transport” model in which cargo transfers at border crossings are eliminated in order to reduce costs and accelerate the movement of trade. The Syrian delegation also raised challenges relating to the application of Turkish visas for Syrian truck drivers, claiming that 247/350 of the applications submitted in 2025 had been approved.
Prominent Druze figure Hassan al-Atrash visited Governor of Suwayda Mustafa Bakkour on March 24, for a meeting to discuss humanitarian conditions, enhancing civil peace, and preparations to facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes in western Suwayda.
