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Opinion and appeal

Two years after liberation: does a company in the heart of Damascus not have the right to stable internet?

An international shipping company in the heart of Damascus cannot work for a single hour without stable internet. Two years after liberation, we ask out loud: does every company in the capital not have the right to stay connected to the world? And how can reconstruction start without it?

Open letterSigned by our General ManagerCentral Damascus
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Published · MIDTRANS SHIPPING AND SERVICES

Reviewed by Khaldoun Al-Khouli, General Manager

In this updateStable internet for Damascus businesses

What we say and what we ask for

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A sector that cannot wait

International shipping cannot work one hour without a stable connection.

A right for companies

Two years after liberation: a stable line for any company in central Damascus.

Three questions

Investment, Syrians abroad and rebuilding the country all need a stable connection.

Our requests

A dedicated business connection, a timeline, a point of contact, and our help.

The appeal

A shipping company cannot work one hour without internet

At MIDTRANS we work in international shipping from the heart of Damascus, the capital of Syria. It is a sector that cannot work for a single hour without a stable internet connection: bookings, contact with carriers, customs systems and replies to our customers abroad all run over the network. Our business depends entirely on communication.

On 13 October 2026 the General Manager of MIDTRANS, Khaldoun Khouli, publicly appealed on X to His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mr Abdulsalam Haykal, for urgent intervention “to save what remains of our ability to communicate with the outside world”. Here is the appeal as it was posted, in Arabic:

Post on X · 13 October 2026

View on X
Illustrative image
Illustrative image

A right, not a privilege

Two years after liberation: a stable connection is a need for every company

Two years after liberation and the end of a corrupt regime, we look forward to the day when any company, not only individuals, can get stable internet in central Damascus. We are not in a distant suburb or a remote area; we are in the heart of the capital.

We are not asking for a luxury. We are asking for a business line that stays connected when we need it. When the connection drops, it is not one message that is late: a whole company's work with the world stops, and a customer abroad waits for a reply that does not arrive. Every such hour counts against the image of all Syrian companies, not one in particular.

Reconstruction

How can reconstruction start while the capital is not reliably connected?

Syrian companies are asked to be ready for reconstruction, investment and trade with the region. In recent days we have written about eight investment contracts for the al-Tanf and al-Yarubiyah free zones, about overland corridors to Syria and Iraq, and about Legislative Decree No. 188, which lowered duties on renewable-energy equipment, medical devices and machinery parts.

But reconstruction will not move at the pace we all want while the capital's businesses cannot stay connected to the world. Contracts, decrees and corridors in the end need companies that can answer the investor, the supplier and the customer on time. A stable connection is not a technical detail; it is the first condition for all of the above.

Questions for all of us

Three questions for everyone who cares about Syria's future

We put them to ourselves and to everyone who cares about this country's future: companies, institutions and public bodies alike:

  • Can we attract investment while the capital's businesses lack a stable connection?
  • Can we bring Syrians abroad home while they cannot work from Damascus?
  • Can we rebuild the country without the communications infrastructure it deserves?

An investor judges a country by how quickly it answers. A Syrian abroad weighs coming home by whether he can work from his own country as he works from abroad. A stable connection is an essential part of the answer to all three questions.

Our requests

What we ask for, and what we offer in return

We address this appeal to H.E. Minister Abdulsalam Haykal and Deputy Minister Mahmoud Mousa, confident in their commitment to developing Syria's communications sector, with three specific requests:

  • A stable, dedicated internet connection for businesses in central Damascus, as basic infrastructure for work.
  • A published timeline, so business owners know when they can rely on this service.
  • A point of contact for companies that receives their feedback and follows it up until it is resolved.

For our part, MIDTRANS is ready to put its daily experience at the service of this effort, and to test any dedicated business connection and report back on it, as a partner in rebuilding.

Khaldoun Khouli, General Manager, MIDTRANS SHIPPING AND SERVICES

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why is MIDTRANS publishing this letter?

Because our international shipping work from central Damascus depends entirely on communication: bookings, carriers, customs systems and customers abroad. It is work that cannot stop for a single hour because the internet is down.

Who is the appeal addressed to?

To H.E. Abdulsalam Haykal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Deputy Minister Mahmoud Mousa, in a spirit of partnership in rebuilding. The General Manager of MIDTRANS first appealed to the Minister on X on 13 October 2026.

What does MIDTRANS ask for?

A stable, dedicated internet connection for businesses in central Damascus, a published timeline and a point of contact for companies. MIDTRANS offers to share its experience and to test any dedicated business service.

What does internet have to do with reconstruction?

Reconstruction needs companies that can communicate with investors, suppliers and customers abroad. When the capital's businesses cannot stay connected, everything built on them is delayed.

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