Saudi Arabia has pledged more than $6bn of private and public sector investments in Syria, as Riyadh looks to bolster President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s fragile government and revive the shattered economy. Agreements and memoranda of understanding to invest in sectors spanning infrastructure and energy to real estate and agriculture were signed at a Saudi-Syrian investment forum in Damascus on Thursday attended by Sharaa and Saudi investment minister Khalid al-Falih.

The deals highlight the countries’ deepening relationship under the new Syrian government, and a wave of investment in a country squeezed by war and sanctions.