Meta and Syria Discuss Return of Commercial Services

Syria's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdulsalam Haykal, met Meta's regional president for the Middle East and Africa, Fares Akkad, to discuss the steps needed to bring commercial services on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp back to Syria, including advertising tools and business services, along with other cooperation files.

Digital Infrastructure

Minister Haykal pointed to Syria's programme to develop digital infrastructure, which includes expanding fiber optic networks, improving internet services and preparing the environment for e-commerce and entrepreneurial projects. He said the government is keen to make available digital tools that help Syrians develop their businesses and keep pace with the world.

The Silk Link Project

The two sides discussed the opportunities that Meta's Silk Link project could offer in diversifying connectivity and data transit routes across Syria. According to the report, this could strengthen service reliability, help reduce latency and improve the experience of users of Meta's platforms in the region.

Relevance for Businesses

Akkad welcomed the prospects the Ministry's vision opens for developing Syria's digital economy and outlined the role Meta's platforms could play in:

• supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises
• helping Syrian products and services reach local and global markets
• reaching Syrians abroad
• opening new opportunities for growth and work

Agreed Steps

Both sides agreed on practical steps to follow up the files discussed and to address obstacles to the return of commercial services on global platforms. The report noted that direct access to a number of international services and platforms had been limited for years because of restrictions linked to sanctions that were previously in place, and that the period of digital isolation spanned 15 years.