The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, Cyta, has partnered with the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment and the American firm UNIFI Communications to build a new 240-kilometre subsea cable linking Pentaschinos in Cyprus with Tartus on Syria's Mediterranean coast, according to the trade publication Mobile Europe. The project, named UGARIT 2, is intended to improve Syria's international connectivity and support the rebuilding of its digital infrastructure, and is being described as the first major international infrastructure agreement signed under the country's new economic framework, Mobile Europe reported.
Under the agreement, UGARIT 2 will carry 24 fibre pairs with an initial capacity of 31 terabits per second, expandable to as much as 370 terabits per second. The new system will replace the original UGARIT cable, which has provided Syria with international connectivity since 1995.
Syria's minister of communications and information technology, Abdulsalam Haykal, described the project as part of an effort to position Syria as a "connectivity gateway" linking Europe, the Gulf and Asia, alongside the country's separate SilkLink initiative, according to Mobile Europe. UNIFI Communications' founder and chief executive, Adrian Shatku, said the project reflected a combination of American technology, European partnership and Syrian determination, calling it proof the country could move from being a network endpoint to becoming what he termed a "digital crossroads." Cyta's chief executive, George Metzakis, said the investment reflected the importance of regional network infrastructure to secure, high-capacity connectivity across the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus and Czech business councils also formed
The cable deal comes days after Syria's Minister of Economy and Industry, Nidal al-Shaar, issued decisions forming separate Syrian-Cypriot and Syrian-Czech business councils, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA. The Syrian-Cypriot Business Council will be chaired by Bassam Mohammad Haitham al-Jahoush, while the Syrian-Czech Business Council will be chaired by Amer Darkal, SANA reported. Under the decisions, both councils are designated as the only authorised bodies representing the Syrian side in relations with their counterparts, and are required to operate under the charter and procedural guide issued by Syria's Council for Coordinating Joint Business Councils, which will oversee their work and ensure it aligns with the country's national economic priorities. SANA described the move as part of a broader effort by Damascus to establish joint business councils with what it called friendly and brotherly countries, aimed at strengthening economic and investment cooperation and opening new avenues of partnership for the Syrian business community abroad.
Sources: Mobile Europe, SANA
