Minister of Economy and Trade Dr. Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar said "Syria is open to all forms of investments and welcomes unlimited partnerships with outside investors."

Meeting a European businessmen delegation at the Syrian Investment Commission on Tuesday, Minister al-Shaar referred to Syria's potentials of its strategic, geographic position and its relationship with neighboring countries and Europe which enable it to be among the pioneering economic powers in the world.

He added that Syria has entered a new stage of the reform process and the Syrian government is working hard to meet its requirements, particularly in terms of providing the appropriate investment atmosphere.

Minister al-Shaar described the European delegation's visit as good and a continuation of the process of deepening economic, social and cultural relations and the Syrian government efforts to attract foreign investments.

He said the meeting aimed at exchanging viewpoints and deepening communication to pave the way for establishing strong economic relations and joint investment projects.

For his part, Head of the Syrian Investment Commission briefed the delegation on the Commission and its role in creating an appropriate investment environment in Syria to achieve sustainable development and encourage investments which contribute to enhancing economic and social development.

The delegation members expressed desire and enthusiasm to establish investment projects in Syria.

In a statement to SANA, Head of the delegation Suleiman Mahmalat said the proposed projects include the fields of alternative energy, agricultural industry, tourism and tourism centers to train cadres for hotels, infrastructures and communication.

The delegation includes 47 businessmen from Italy, Romania, Sweden, Britain, Switzerland and Belarus, in addition to representatives of companies specialized in alternative energy, improving hospitals and tourism investments.

Italian Businessmen to Invest in Beach Sites in Lattakia

Minister of Tourism Lamia Assi discussed with Italian businessmen and tourism experts means of enhancing tourism investment projects at the sites of al-Bassa, al-Sanaobar, Slayyeb al-Turkman and Burj Islam in Lattakia province.

The Minister reviewed the richness of these sites as natural reserves suitable for therapeutic and beach tourism and in terms of the meeting of beach with the mountains at some points.

Director of Tourism Development and Marketing Bassam Barsik pointed out that leisure tourism is the most popular in Syria along with the cultural tourism which attracts large numbers of tourists, particularly from Europe, noting that business tourism has also developed as Syria ranked second in 2008 for business tourism with a growth rate of 14,1% following Brazil.

The delegation members expressed desire to invest in Syria and readiness to provide expertise to develop tourism training centers in Syria.