Syria's Sharaa to attend G7 summit in France, sources say

By Feras Dalatey

May ‌21 (Reuters) - Syria ​will ​attend the G7 summit in France next month as a guest nation and be represented ‌by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, three sources familiar ⁠with the matter said, marking Syria's first participation in a ‌summit of the group since ‌the forum was founded in 1975.

An invitation to Sharaa to attend the June 15-17 summit in ​Évian-les-Bains, southeastern France, was hand-delivered to Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh, who attended the group's financial ⁠talks earlier this week in Paris, one of the sources said.

The source, ​a Syrian official, said Syria's participation in the talks would likely focus on the ​country's role as a “potential strategic ‌hub for supply chains” following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping through the ⁠strait has been largely halted since the Iran war erupted at the end of February, rattling the global economy.

Syria, ⁠emerging from its 14-year civil war as an ally of ​the West, is seeking to rebuild an economy shattered by years of conflict and sanctions.

While most sanctions imposed during former ‌Presidents Hafez and Bashar al-Assad's rule have since been eased, attracting foreign investment and ‌restoring normal banking ties have proven slower and ⁠more difficult than many ‌officials had hoped.

(Reporting ​by Feras Dalatey in Dubai; Additional reporting by Khalil Ashawi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Aidan ‌Lewis)

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