Damascus International Fair: US threatens participants with sanctions
The event scheduled from August 28th to September 6th. This is the oldest exhibition in the whole of the Middle East, the first edition was held in 1954. Suspended during the darkest years of the war, today it hosts delegations and businessmen (also) from Arab nations and the Gulf. Moscow and Beijing against Washington.
Damascus (AsiaNews) - From Iran, the United States is now also targeting Syria and threatening companies and businessmen who intend to attend the annual International Fair in Damascus harsh economic and commercial sanctions.
In an official statement released via Twitter, the US embassy in the Arab country - which closed its diplomatic mission at the start of the conflict - issued "warnings" against those "doing business with the Assad regime and associates".
Analysts and experts explain that Washington has targeted the review, due to the growing success it has seen since the reopening. Interrupted since 2012 due to the escalation of the conflict, in 2017 it reopened its doors but was the object of an attack.
Relaunched by the Syrian government after years of war to favor investments, especially foreign ones, last year it was held regularly, recalling the attention of a wide audience, in a climate of trust and tranquility.
The fair, which began August 28th and runs until September 6th, is an annual trade show held in the capital, attracting the attention of exhibitors and businessmen from all over the world. A coveted showcase to showcase goods and services, as well as to present the latest market innovations.
Inaugurated in 1954, the Damascus fair is the oldest in the whole of the Middle East, although in recent years it has experienced a period of crisis linked to the vicissitudes of war in the country. In 2017, at the reopening of the doors, local exhibitors were present, as well as Lebanese, Iranian and Russian companies due to US sanctions and the boycott policy towards President Bashar al-Assad and his government, accused of human rights violations.
For the 2019 edition, around 400 Arab and international businessmen and companies have registered, including 16 from Oman and a delegation of over 40 members from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has recently reopened the diplomatic representation in the country. The participation of these last two countries has a particular significance, because they are the first to return to cross (at least ideally) the borders of Syria since the expulsion of Damascus by the Arab League in 2011. And it is a further confirmation of the will of the Arab world and of the Gulf to re-establish relations with Assad.
One of the first governments to criticize the United States for the threat of sanctions is China. The Beijing ambassador to Damascus Feng Biao also points out that Washington's repression policies will certainly not block the presence of the 58 Chinese companies registered to attend. In an interview released in recent days to the official Syrian agency Sana, the diplomat stated that "the International Damascus Fair is considered a source of power for the Syrian people and a window to develop their economy".
Similar condemnations have also come from Moscow, an iron ally - even on the military level - of Damascus in the region. In the context of the opening ceremony, Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis recalled that US threats "are nothing new" and denounced what he calls "an agenda of sabotage and destruction" promoted by the White House.
.png)
12/04/2018 10:14
