Washington hosts high-level meeting to discuss investment mechanisms in Syria

 Today, the US capital, Washington, is witnessing the holding of a closed meeting that is one of the most prominent international meetings related to the future of the Syrian economy, under the title "Investing in Syria"  entitled "From Political Intentions to Practical Implementation".

According to media sources, this meeting comes jointly organized by the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) and the Middle East Institute-Switzerland (MEIS).

The media sources explained that the meeting aims to move from the stage of support and traditional political talk about Syria, to developing clear work mechanisms capable of attracting investments, and transforming international pledges and political commitments into economic and development projects that can be implemented on the ground.

High U.S. presence and broad international diplomatic engagement

The sources pointed out that the meeting is  characterized by the exceptional participation of US lawmakers and decision-makers, as the meeting is attended by a number of prominent members of Congress, led by Representative Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Jim Risch, the leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Jane Shaheen. The White House is also represented in this meeting by US Special Envoy for Syria Steve Whitkoff, along with the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy Tom Barak, and the MPs:  Joe Wilson, Corey Mills, Anna Polina Luna, Mike Baumgartner, Mike Lawler, and Brad Sherman.

At the diplomatic and regional levels, the meeting is attended by high-level representation from countries active in the Syrian file, with the Syrian Chargé d'Affaires in Washington, Mohammed al-Qanatri, representing the Syrian government, as well as ambassadors and representatives of prominent Gulf and regional countries, including:

Economists at the same table

The meeting will be attended by current and former ministers and financial officials, as well as experts from major international financial and development institutions.

Prominent among the attendees were the Saudi Assistant Minister of Finance for Macrofinancial Policy and International Relations, Abdullah bin Zahra, the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abdullah Al-Dardari, in addition to Dr. Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (and former Lebanese Minister of Finance), Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and Othman Dion, Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa region.

According to  the sources, business leaders and international consultants are also participating in the discussions, such as Steve Lutz, vice president of Middle East affairs at the American Chamber of Commerce, Mohammed bin Abdullah Abunayyan, president of the Saudi-Syrian Business Council, Munther Nahha, chairman of the Syrian-British Business Council, and James Jones, CEO of Jones Group International, in addition to a number of researchers and consultants from prestigious think tanks such as the Atlantic Council and the CSIS Center) and the Gulf Arab States Institute (MEIS).