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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives to attend the second day of the first Syrian-Emirati (United Arab Emirates) Investment Forum, at the People's Palace in Damascus on May 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria

UAE-Syrian ties have moved faster than expected, with Abu Dhabi embracing President Ahmad al-Sharaa and relations shifting from normalization to investment opportunities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2026, and was warmly received by the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the airport. The PM is shown being accorded a Guard of Honor upon his arrival.

UAE unveils $5B India investment push during Modi visit: What to know

India and the UAE signed deals related to energy supplies and maritime security, further strengthening ties amid the war in the region.

United Arab Emirates

A Syrian citizen exchanges old banknotes for new notes released and distributed by the central bank, at a bank in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

The launch comes as Syria’s new government attempts to stabilize the country’s shattered economy following the January 2025 rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Jag Vasant, an Indian-flagged tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that transited through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East war, remains docked at an offloading terminal along the coast in Mumbai on April 1, 2026.

Uptick in Chinese tankers transiting Hormuz amid Trump-Xi summit

President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, a meeting closely watched in Iran.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

Aramco profits jump 26% as Hormuz disruption chokes supply

Guests stand at the Aramco booth during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 3, 2025.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

Kaja Kallas

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

An Egyptian farmer works in a cotton field in the Nile Delta town of Kafr el-Sheikh, Egypt, Sept. 13, 2018.

Egypt cotton exports record high revenues despite Russia-Ukraine war

Despite the Russian war on Ukraine and its negative repercussions on global trade, Egypt succeeded in exporting 50,000 tons, or up to 75%, of its cotton production this season.

Egypt finance

How religious convictions influence business culture in Egypt

Recent fatwas remind Egyptian Muslims that receiving interest on a savings account is permitted, but profiteering from scarce supplies is not.

Saudi immigrants

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan work on long-term business strategy

Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Duhail passes through the Suez Canal near the port city of Ismailia, Egypt, April 1, 2008.

Egypt turns to Suez Canal to boost revenues

The waterway’s authority has announced significant increases in transit tolls in recent weeks that are expected to bring in much-needed additional resources to help Cairo navigate its economic challenges.

A worker is seen at an oil refinery near the village of Taq Taq, in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, May 31, 2009.

Report: oil production, profits stable in Iraqi Kurdistan

There have been a series of notable energy developments in Iraq recently.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Martha Lucia Ramirez.

Turkey-Colombia trade doubles in 2021

Turkey has also sought good relations with Venezuela in South America.

Egyptian machinery work at the construction site of a new housing complex north of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Jan. 11, 2022.

Gaza’s poor, reconstruction projects victims of Russia-Ukraine war

The Russia war on Ukraine took a toll on the Gaza Strip, where the vulnerable population is facing increasing hardships in securing basic necessities as a result of soaring prices, in addition to halting construction projects due to high prices of building materials.

Dubai drivers

Israel-UAE friendship continues with mutual recognition of driving licenses

The agreement has been in the works since shortly after the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.

An Uber driver checks his phone application at the company's heardquarters, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 17, 2018.

Uber faces new competition in Egypt

New ride-sharing competitors are challenging Uber’s longtime monopoly.

Tourists stand at the Mount of Olives

Pandemic no longer Israeli tourism's top problem

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as China maintaining strict COVID-related travel regulations, could present obstacles to a tourism recovery in Israel.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and United Arab Emirates' Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, pose for a group photo following their Negev meeting in the kibbutz of Sde Boker, Israel, March 28, 2022.

Israeli business leaders expect surge in trade with Morocco

Morocco hopes to replicate, and even exceed, Israel-UAE business ties.

India wheat

Egypt looks to India as alternative wheat source to Ukraine

Final talks are being held to send Indian wheat to Egypt, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted the global supply.