Escalation is 'on the way' but region must keep calm, Syria's al-Sharaa tells Euronews

"It looks like escalation is on the way” in the region gripped by the Iran war, and “with all the tensions, nobody can predict” what will happen, but the hope is that the situation “remains stable," Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Tuesday.

In an answer to a Euronews question at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, al-Sharaa urged the region’s countries to “keep calm” and “work together to alleviate the problems that come” with conflict, which is vital to Syria’s new beginning “after 60 years of destruction and 17 years of war”.

The Arab Media Summit kicked off on Tuesday with a wide array of regional leaders, officials, media executives, analysts, writers and influencers, bringing together eight specialised forums, including Euronews’ Forum on Wednesday, and welcoming some 10,000 participants.

As the headline speaker at the summit opening, Al-Sharaa said, “Syria is being transformed into a story being told across the world,” after overcoming all the obstacles of its past tragic decades and marking “a new beginning” which “could be a big opportunity.”

Syria’s president outlined how his country took the initiative to turn the Iran war-generated crises into opportunities.

“People are talking about Syria as a pathway, as security and supply chains can link the West and the East,” giving the UAE as an example of “targeting the right opportunities” with its moves to bypass the Strait of Hormuz closure.

“Syria has always been a trade pathway as being traders and negotiators has been in our DNA,” al-Sharaa told the summit, adding that with transparency and honesty, “Syria is increasing its credibility,” as “it is not affiliated towards any direction”.

From the podium in Dubai, he said, “We rely on our dear brothers and sisters in the Arab world and learn from them, so we don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

He said Syria is in “a transformational phase” towards a democracy, after being plagued by sanctions that Trump “has been helping to lift,” which led to “breaking the chain” of the past.

“We are expecting some shocks and we need to move into a quieter stage,” and that Damascus “need to give it time” for the reforms and transformations to make their mark.

He further outlined food security and supplies as important targets for the region, where Syria has many opportunities that European investors and neighbouring countries with investments from the Gulf are interested in.

Al-Sharaa told the summit that he hopes the region remains stable and that Syria “tries to find ways to mitigate the damage of war,” and to work together with the Arab world “to spread peace in the region which will help economic growth.”

As a keynote speaker at the Arab Media Summit, Al-Sharaa said, “It is a heavy burden to work in the media, to fact-check and to stay away from politicising.”

“People’s lives are in the hands of the media, as they need to keep up with the Arab societies to be aware of the actual facts of what is happening: authenticate information with channels and people and the messages of media,” the Syrian president concluded.