Syria joins Digital Cooperation Organization to boost digital economy

Syria has officially joined the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) following the signing of a membership charter. The agreement was signed by Syrian Minister of Communications and Technology Abd al-Salam Haikal and DCO Secretary-General Dima AlYahya.

This membership provides Syria with an institutional framework to cooperate with other member states on digital economy issues, including digital trade, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data centers, and digital infrastructure. While the membership does not guarantee direct technical investment or funding, it aims to facilitate access to knowledge, markets, and digital policies.

The DCO, headquartered in Riyadh, was established in 2020 by founding members including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Pakistan. The organization's recent expansion includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Albania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, and Zambia, potentially increasing its membership to 24 countries representing approximately 980 million people.