In Syria, Sharaa's brothers take spotlight with Saudi, Russian dealings
Hazem al-Sharaa is playing a key role in Syria’s economic development and ties with the Gulf, while Maher al-Sharaa is involved in diplomacy with Russia, though another brother has reportedly fallen out of favor with the president.
A brother of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomed a senior Saudi delegation to Damascus on Saturday ahead of the countries signing billions of dollars in deals, highlighting the growing role the president’s family is playing in Syria’s economic and political trajectory.
Visuals published on Syrian social media and the official SANA news outlet showed Hazem al-Sharaa, one of the president’s brothers, receiving the Saudi delegation in Damascus ahead of the meeting.
The Saudi side was represented by Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih, while President Sharaa, Syrian Investment Authority head Talal al-Hilali, Syrian Telecommunications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal and Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir likewise participated. Agreements on water desalination and developing Aleppo’s airport were signed, among other deals, SANA reported. Falih told the Arabic-language news outlet Asharq that the deals totaled around $5.3 billion.
President Sharaa has three brothers in total, all of whom are older.
