STORY: Syrian businesses eye global market via debut trade expo
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 4, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 6, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:53
LOCATION: Damascus
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the trade expo
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): RAED AL-NOURI, Al-Nouri Food Company
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): RIDWAN DEBS Wlaban, Media director at Columbus Company
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): EYAD MOHAMMED, Head of Export Committee at Syrian Federation of Agricultural Chambers
5. various of the trade expo

STORYLINE:

Syrian business representatives and industry insiders see the country's first international trade expo as a significant opportunity for local businesses to enter global markets.

Expo Syria 2024, which opened on Wednesday at the Exhibition City near Damascus, has drawn over 600 companies from various sectors and attracted more than 3,000 foreign traders and business figures.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): RAED AL-NOURI, Al-Nouri Food Company
"The expo is very good. After Syria's recovery, it will have wide prospects, especially for exports to neighboring countries. People always strive for better and to expand their business, so it is essential for us to participate in expos to open broader horizons and good markets for ourselves. This expo will be successful."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): RIDWAN DEBS Wlaban, Media director at Columbus Company
"Our participation in this expo is an opportunity for us to open the door to exporting our goods and expanding globally. The Syrian products have certainly proven their worth in terms of quality, variety, and even pricing, making them able to compete with foreign products in international markets."

However, some participants expressed concerns about the impact of Western sanctions on Syrian businesses. 

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): EYAD MOHAMMED, Head of Export Committee at Syrian Federation of Agricultural Chambers
"Sanctions have affected Syrian exports, which were valued at 8 billion U.S. dollars annually before the war, and have now decreased to 1 billion annually due to these sanctions. Sanctions impact transportation, financial transfers, and the components of production, raising the costs of production inputs and weakening competition. Sanctions on production essentials affect both the product and the worker."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Damascus.
(XHTV)