اخبار سوريا اليوم – وطن نيوز
سوريا اليوم – اخبار سوريا عاجل
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-02-06 17:25:00
Since the beginning of 2025, the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce has witnessed a noticeable movement in registering and affiliating companies, an indicator that reflects the gradual economic transformations that the region is witnessing after years of stagnation. This increased activity has re-highlighted the Chamber’s role in regulating commercial activity, supporting traders and investors, and contributing to restoring confidence in the local market. In this context, the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce has emerged with its geographical and commercial weight at the level of Syria, and its leaders confirm that a number of reform measures have been taken since 2025 to correct previous imbalances and activate the institutional role of the chamber, considering that the current stage constitutes an opportunity to rebuild a competitive economy that limits monopoly, balances the interests of the producer and consumer, and keeps pace with the requirements of the post-liberation phase. Enab Baladi conducted a special interview with the head of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Abdel Rahim Ziadeh, who discussed the reality of the chamber’s work after the fall of the previous regime, the volume of demand for registration and affiliation of companies, and indicators of recovery in the commercial movement, in addition to the challenges facing the local market, most notably monopoly, the regulation of “cardamom” markets, and the price difference between the producer and the consumer, as well as the impact of lifting sanctions and the new investment law on attracting investments and the return of merchants and capital. Ziadeh said that the Chamber worked during the year 2025 to activate all its basic tasks and correct imbalances that had accumulated over previous years, in parallel with developing a long-term future vision aimed at building a fair competitive economy that protects the producer and consumer and combats monopoly. In December 2025, the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce organized a workshop to formulate the general strategy of the chamber that extends between the years 2026 and 2040, with the participation of economic and commercial activities, with the aim of strengthening the principle of partnership and participatory decision-making, benefiting from the experiences and proposals of representatives of various sectors, and building practical, implementable plans that support the development of the chamber’s performance, modernizing its work mechanisms and activating its role in serving its members and the national economy, according to the Syrian News Agency (SANA). The return of the Chamber to its normal role. Dr. Abdel Rahim Ziadeh confirmed that the year 2025 represented a real turning point in the work of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce, as the Chamber returned to practicing all of its legally and institutionally supposed activities, most notably registering new companies, renewing the affiliation of old companies, and attracting new affiliates from inside and outside Syria. He indicated that the number of new affiliates reached about 5,600 companies, including about 5,200 companies during the year 2025 alone, which is considered a very important indicator in light of the economic conditions that were still subject to sanctions at that time, and reflects a gradual return to the confidence of Syrian merchants, whether residents or expatriates, in addition to the interest of some Arab businessmen in the Syrian market. The number of companies that renewed their affiliation with the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce reached about 9,200 companies, while the number of members of the General Authority has reached more than 72 thousand members since the founding of the Chamber, considering that these numbers represent a clear indication of the recovery of the commercial movement and the beginning of a new phase of organized economic activity. The Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce continues to support small and medium enterprises, which do not have sufficient financial capabilities to import or fully produce, and constantly demands the provision of raw materials for industrial establishments at competitive prices, similar to Jordan and Turkey, which contributes to stimulating the labor market and opening new institutions, as well as enabling existing small enterprises to expand to become medium or large Dr. Abd al-Rahim Ziyada, President of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce in an interview with Enab Baladi – January 29, 2026 (Enab Baladi / Saeed Khashfa) Rural Damascus.. Commercial and industrial weight. The head of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce said that the governorate is today considered the largest commercially in Syria, whether in terms of the number of registered companies or the size and diversity of economic activities, surpassing the Damascus and Aleppo Chambers of Commerce, which is due to its geographical breadth and the multiplicity of its industrial and commercial areas. He pointed out that the Damascus countryside includes the industrial city of Adra, in addition to active industrial areas in Sahnaya and Al-Harjala in Al-Kiswah, in addition to Yabrud and Al-Nabk, which gives the chamber a diverse character that combines commercial and industrial activities, and makes it one of the most vibrant chambers of commerce in Syria. Dr. Ziadeh stressed that the role of the Chamber does not include granting commercial records, explaining that this task is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, while the Chamber’s role is limited to granting affiliation certificates to merchants based on the official records they hold. Rural Damascus Governorate, which was created in the 1970s and surrounds the Syrian capital, is a vital economic and commercial center that combines agricultural and industrial activities. The governorate is characterized by the presence of major industrial areas (such as Adra) and active commercial towns such as Douma and Jaramana. Lifting sanctions and the investment law Dr. Abdel Rahim Ziadeh pointed out that the numbers recorded after the liberation would not have been achieved without the improvement of the security and economic environment, expecting that the year 2026 will witness greater growth in the number of affiliated companies and the size of investment projects, especially with the start of lifting sanctions at the end of 2025. The issuance of the new investment law was an encouraging factor for Syrian, Arab and foreign investors, because of the facilities and guarantees it includes. He considered increasing the law one of the advanced laws that opens broad horizons for new investments and restores confidence in the Syrian market. He added that the Chamber relies heavily on the return of merchants who emigrated or whose businesses stopped during the past years, to rebuild their companies and factories, and to contribute effectively to the reconstruction process. The president and members of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce held a meeting in August 2025, with a Jordanian trade delegation from the Board of Directors of the Jordanian Petroleum Refinery Company Limited, “Go Petroleum,” during which the company offered to provide technical and operational solutions in the Syrian market, including filling empty Syrian gas cylinders and rehabilitating two model gas stations at the southern and northern entrances to the city of Damascus. Correcting past mistakes. The president of the Chamber spoke about addressing previous mistakes in managing some of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce’s investments, pointing out the re-evaluation of real estate contracts that were rented at prices that were not commensurate with their real value, which constituted a waste of the Chamber’s resources. He explained that the rent for a property in Al-Qosour Square had been raised from seven million old Syrian pounds (about $609) to $35,000 annually, in addition to renting a property in Al-Nabk through a public auction worth 760 million pounds (about $66,000) annually, which generated important revenues that strengthened the chamber’s financial resources. He also pointed out that there are other properties, including a property on Baghdad Street in partnership with the Damascus and Rural Chamber of Industry, and work is currently being done to invest it optimally to achieve a sustainable income that serves the interests of the two chambers. The Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce during the time of the previous regime was an arena for disputes and settling scores between the government and merchants in Syria. In 2018, a decision was issued by the Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection in the former regime’s government, Abdullah al-Gharbi, at the time, to dissolve the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce, headed by Osama Mustafa, a member of the People’s Assembly during the regime’s time, under the pretext that the chamber’s work exceeded the limits of the powers specified for it. Sectoral committees in the Chamber of Commerce to represent merchants. Dr. Ziadeh confirmed that the Chamber has created about 20 specialized sectoral committees representing various economic activities, such as clothing, vegetables and fruits, building materials, cars, energy, transportation, and others. He said that these committees play a pivotal role in conveying the concerns and demands of merchants to government agencies, as the Chamber acts as a link between the private sector and the government, which contributes to finding practical and implementable solutions. He added that sectoral meetings are held periodically, sometimes weekly, during which complaints and suggestions are documented, studied, classified, and submitted to the competent authorities. The Chamber’s Board of Directors held a meeting, on February 4, in which it decided on a number of decisions, including restructuring some of the approved specialized committees, and agreed to invest in the Nabek Wedding Hall to achieve an economic return, in addition to discussing the conversion of the Nobles Hall in Yabroud into a commercial center serving the Qalamoun region. It was also agreed to establish a “Ramadan Market” in cooperation with the Damascus and Rural Chamber of Industry, with the aim of providing food and basic commodities at reduced and competitive prices, thus contributing to alleviating the living burdens on citizens and securing the needs of the holy month of Ramadan from the producer directly to the consumer. New distribution of vegetable and meat markets. Dr. Abdul Rahim Ziadeh confirmed that organizing “hal” markets needs to distribute them to strategic locations to facilitate sales and reduce monopoly, noting that the issue has been followed up intensively with the Ministry of Economy and the Supply Directorate, and work is still underway to create new markets for food and clothing. He pointed out that the meat market must be moved outside the Zabaltani market and a real meat market should be established close to the Zabaltani slaughterhouse, because the presence of meat shops within the vegetable market led to a significant increase in prices. He added that moving meat shops to a suitable location will contribute to increasing competition among merchants and achieving a better balance in prices. Dr. Ziadeh also proposed establishing new vegetable markets in suitable areas on international and main roads, such as: the Douma area, the Harasta area, and the Harjala area on the Daraa-Damascus highway. He pointed out the importance of these markets being part of a modern market network that includes shipping and export processing cities, with loading and packaging centers and refrigerators for products, without the need for goods to enter the central “Al-Hal” market in Zabaltani, in order to facilitate the movement of trade and achieve broader competition that reduces prices and increases efficiency in the distribution of basic materials. The “Al-Hal” market was established during the era of the French Mandate (1920-1946), between the “Saruja” market and King Faisal Street in the center of the capital, and in the eighties of the last century, the market was moved to the Zabaltani area in Damascus, along the city of Jobar and Abbasid Square (north), and it is considered the link between retail stores and productive farmers, as it is considered the main market specialized in selling vegetables and fruits in bulk, and it has branches in Most of the Syrian governorates. An open battle against monopoly. The head of the chamber revealed the existence of a clear monopoly on some basic materials in the “cardamom” market, such as potatoes and olives, which led to weak competition and unjustified high prices. He said that he submitted official memorandums to the Ministry of Economy and Industry demanding the necessity of breaking this monopoly, increasing the number of sales outlets, and regulating the work of “hal” markets, in addition to reducing the high commissions that reached 19% after they had not exceeded 2.5%. According to the memorandums, Ziadeh called for moving the meat market outside the Zabaltani market, and establishing new vegetable markets on main and international roads, with shipping and processing cities for export, in a way that would relieve pressure on the central market. Al-Hal markets are considered one of the most sensitive links in the pricing chain, and any defect in their regulation is directly reflected in the prices of basic commodities, which explains the Chamber’s focus on reforming this sector. Dr. Ziadeh pointed out that there is a big difference between the price that the farmer or producer receives and the price that the consumer pays, which sometimes reaches three or four times. He stressed that this difference does not go to the small merchant, but rather to the intermediaries, pointing out that the same problem applies to the clothing sector, especially children’s clothing, where low-cost products are sold at high and unjustified prices. The Rural Damascus Chamber of Commerce held a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Industry, Nidal Al-Shaar, last January, which focused on reviewing the reality of the local markets and the challenges facing merchants and industrialists in the Rural Damascus Governorate, with special attention paid to the clothing and textile sector, which is considered one of the vital sectors in the national economy. An economy without monopoly. The head of the Damascus Rural Chamber of Commerce concluded his speech by affirming that the chamber works according to a clear principle based on fighting monopoly, promoting competition, protecting the citizen, and achieving justice between the producer and the consumer. Therefore, many seminars will be held in the cities, villages, and towns of the Damascus countryside, to focus on the need for citizens to stand with the owners of commercial activities in the face of monopoly and withholding necessary goods from circulation in order to raise their prices and exploit the needs of the people. He explained that the next stage requires concerted efforts between the public and private sectors to build a balanced and sustainable economy that restores confidence in the Syrian market and lays real foundations for development in the post-liberation stage. Related
