Syria's economic ties with Saudi Arabia, Tunisia highlighted

Director of the Tunisian pavilion at the 45th Damascus International Fair, Muhammad Darbash, stressed his country's interest in the Syrian market to maintain economic integration between the two states.

He said his country has been taking part in the fair for the last 10 years, viewing the event as an opportunity to make deals for exporting Tunisian ceramics and car spare parts and for importing cotton from Syria. He indicated the importance of his country's participation in the fair to create chances for industrial and trade integration for serving the interests of the two countries.

In a similar statement to the Syrian news agency SANA, the director of the Saudi pavilion at the Damascus International Fair, Bkheit al-Zahrani, stressed the importance of Saudi companies taking part in the exhibition as it is an important economic event for inter-Arab trade.

He added that several trade deals were signed during the fair, noting that Syrian agents were selected for several participating countries. He praised the developed level of Syrian industries, adding that the trade balance between Saudi Arabia and Syria favors Syria.

He said the volume of Syrian exports to Saudi Arabia was 238 million Saudi riyals in 1997, whereas Saudi exports to Syria are estimated at 207 million riyals.