Economic relations

Syria is a modest trading partner for France: 71st customer and 57th supplier. Our trade balance with Syria showed a deficit in 2007 because of a sharp drop in our exports (-39%, to €310M) and an increase in our imports (+36%, to €416M). Our market share moved from 3.5% in 2006 to 1.8% in 2007. However, our main competitors’ exports grew (+43% for Italy and +9% for Germany). Syria is also refocusing its trade to Arab countries, Turkey, Russia, the Ukraine and Asia.

The sharp drop in French exports appears to be a result of the cooling of bilateral political relations in 2005. In this context, French companies hesitate to get involved in the Syrian system, while Syrian customers are staying away from French products.

Consequently, an improvement in our relations would seem to be able to promote the development of our trade. A resumption in financial cooperation, broken off since the assassination of the Lebanese prime minister in February 2005, is currently being envisaged.

Updated on 17.12.08