The Syrian Future Movement followed with great interest the formation of the Syrian-Egyptian Business Council, which was approved by Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal al-Shaar on Sunday, May 3, 2026, by Decree No. 83, based on Presidential Decree No. 91 of March 29, 2025, and the bylaws of the joint Syrian business councils. The council is the sole entity authorized to represent the Syrian side in promoting joint economic cooperation between the two countries.
We also followed Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Cairo and his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel-Aty, the first official meeting of its kind in years.
The Syrian Future Movement views economic cooperation with Egypt as a promising gateway to reconstruction. According to a World Bank report (October 2025), the cost of rebuilding Syria is estimated at approximately $216 billion, distributed as follows: $75 billion for residential buildings, $59 billion for non-residential facilities, and $82 billion for infrastructure. This represents a major investment opportunity, the likes of which the region has not seen for decades.
The Syrian Future Movement welcomes the estimates by the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce indicating that the actual volume of trade between the two countries is approaching one billion dollars annually. This figure is expected to rise with the resumption of operations at the Syrian banking system and the reactivation of SWIFT channels. A high-level Egyptian economic delegation visited Damascus in early January 2026, the first such visit in nearly 15 years.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the necessity of accompanying these economic steps with addressing the humanitarian challenges, particularly the situation of the Syrian community in Egypt, whose numbers are estimated at between 500,000 and 1.4 million, according to unofficial estimates and media reports.
The Syrian Future Movement also confirms the reports from human rights and media outlets regarding the escalation of legalization campaigns and the detention of Syrians in Egypt during April and May 2026, ostensibly to ensure their human dignity. We believe that improved political relations could lead to positive changes in the situation of Syrians in Egypt.
The Syrian Future Movement views with cautious optimism the energy memoranda of understanding signed between the two sides (January 2026), particularly the agreement to supply 60 million cubic feet per day of Egyptian gas in exchange for facilitating the transit of gas and electricity to Lebanon, within the framework of the 1,200-kilometer Arab Gas Pipeline. These agreements were also addressed in statements by both sides during Al-Shaibani’s visit to Cairo.
The Syrian Future Movement also notes the exchange of views between the two countries’ foreign ministers regarding Israeli violations and regional threats. These are issues that the Syrian Future Movement previously addressed in detail in its statement, “Israeli Incursions into Daraa and Quneitra” (dated March 17, 2026), in which it emphasized that a unified Arab stance is essential to deterring attacks on national sovereignty.
The Syrian Future Movement hopes that this diplomatic and economic momentum will continue to achieve tangible breakthroughs, while preserving Syrian national sovereignty and preventing Syria from becoming an arena for redrawing spheres of influence at the expense of its internal stability. The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its support for any effort that contributes to improving the economic and humanitarian situation of Syrians, while stressing the need for clear national controls to maintain independence in decision-making, protect the rights of Syrians wherever they are, and ensure that bilateral relations translate into direct benefit for the Syrian citizen, as there is no stability without a strong economy, and no strong economy without full national sovereignty.
