Companies from dozens of countries are showing their wares at the Damascus International Fair this week, but those from two in particular are getting special treatment—Russia and Iran.
Firms from the top two wartime allies of Syria’s government are set up in an entirely separate building, hinting at the preferred status they hope to enjoy as the country tries to transition into reconstruction.
Packed pavilions feature Iranian cars and carpets, Russian wires and cables—and translators ready to help Syrian businessmen connect with potential foreign partners.
A flatscreen television in the Russian wing plays a sleek advertisement for Libena Agro Build, a metalworking company that produces farming equipment and grain silos.
“Foreign companies are scrambling and competing to invest in Syria, but Russia’s got preference,” says its regional representative, Lebanese-Russian national Leba Shehadeh.
“We were the ones defending Syria politically and militarily, so we expect the lion’s share of the economy and of the reconstruction phase.”
He flips through a pamphlet of irrigation products, metal recycling services, moulds, and more.