A man takes a photo of the trading screen inside the Damascus Securities Exchange in Damascus, Syria, on June 2, 2025. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)
DAMASCUS, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Trading resumed Monday on the Damascus Securities Exchange for the first time in more than six months, as Syria's new interim government seeks to restore confidence in the war-ravaged economy and attract foreign investment.
The reopening marks a symbolic step in what officials are calling Syria's economic "reset," just weeks after the United States and European Union lifted a broad set of sanctions imposed on the former Syrian government.
"We want to be an investment country," finance affairs chief Mohammed Yisr Barnieh told reporters at the opening ceremony. "That is what we are working on, to provide an attractive environment for investors."
Fourteen of the exchange's 28 listed companies resumed trading Monday, according to Sulaiman Mouselli, deputy director of the Damascus Securities Exchange, who said the participating firms had fulfilled disclosure requirements.
The exchange had shuttered amid chaos in early December, days before former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a swift military offensive. The last trading session before the closure had been held on Dec. 5.
"Now, there is a renewed outlook and hope. We expect a very strong start," Mouselli said.
The stock exchange reopening follows a major energy deal signed last week between the Syrian interim government and a consortium of Qatari, Turkish, and American firms worth 7 billion U.S. dollars. The agreement includes the construction of four combined-cycle gas turbine plants with a capacity of 4,000 megawatts, and an 1,000-megawatt solar power facility in southern Syria.
Barnieh said the country would continue focusing on economic liberalization. "The exchange will operate as a private company and serve as a genuine hub for Syria's economic development, with a strong focus on digital," he said.
The Damascus exchange, first launched in 2009, had long struggled under the weight of war and sanctions. ■
This photo taken on June 2, 2025 shows the Damascus Securities Exchange in Damascus, Syria. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)
Officials and guests attend the reopening ceremony of the Damascus Securities Exchange in Damascus, Syria, on June 2, 2025. (Photo by Monsef Memari/Xinhua)
