After seven years of war in Syria, countries like Australia and Russia declared in December the end of the military air operations in the country and of the war on the Islamic State (IS), announcing the return of their warplanes to local bases.

A new journey now begins to reconstruct Syria, amid conflicting estimates of the total reconstruction cost that ranges from $250 billion to $500 billion and even $900 billion. United Nations envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said during a press conference in November that reconstructing Syria will cost $250 billion at least. Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit disagreed and said that the reconstruction would cost $900 billion.

Egypt’s Ministry of Trade and Industry launched wide-scale calls and steps with Egyptian companies to participate in the reconstruction of Syria, especially after the expulsion of IS, according to a statement of the Export Council for Building Materials at the end of November. Egypt seeks to participate in the reconstruction plans in Syria, unlike in Iraq in the 1990s when it was excluded from the process.

The council said in an official statement Nov. 24, “The ministry held meetings in the last few days regarding agreements and foreign trade to strengthen the Egyptian role in the reconstruction of Syria, especially as there is already great demand for iron, steel, copper and aluminum products as well as ceramics, insulation material and sanitary ware from the Syrian market.”