Syria

Independent since 1946, Syria shares its northern borders with Turkey, and its eastern ones with Iraq. It borders with Jordan to the south, and with Israel, Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. It has a population of 21.5 million and its official language is Arabic.

Since 2011, Syria has been the theatre of a bloody civil war. While the conflict is still ongoing, President Bashar al-Assad’s government has regained the control of much of the territory. Russian, Iranian, Turkish and American forces are still in the country, together with pro-government militias linked to the Lebanese organization Hezbollah. Although some Arab countries have recently resumed relations with Syria, the country remains largely isolated and under international sanctions.

Although the volumes of trade between them is low, Syria and Italy used to enjoy good relations. During the civil war, the Italian Cooperation Agency has provided a great deal of assistance to Syria via multilateral initiatives.