DAVOS, Switzerland — There has been "strong optimism" at the World Economic Forum this week regarding Syria's future, with Arab businesses "very keen" to resume operations in the country following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime by militias in December, according to the World Economic Forum's head of the Middle East and North Africa.

Speaking to Al-Monitor on the sidelines of the event in Davos, WEF Middle East and North Africa head Maroun Kairouz said many of the event participants and government delegations were “very optimistic” about Syria’s future, despite some reservations about commitments of the new government, which is led by the former Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

This year’s event saw the first high-level official participation of Syria’s government after decades of isolation under Assad and a civil war that had raged since 2011. Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani, attended the summit, along with over 50 heads of state and hundreds of business moguls.

Kairouz said Shibani attended the WEF to show that "Damascus is back" and is trying to reintegrate with the international community.