Syria and Meta discuss restoring business tools across its apps

Syria’s communications minister met Meta’s Middle East and Africa chief to discuss bringing back the paid and business features of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, including ad tools and services for companies. This is not a plan to switch the apps on for ordinary users; the focus is the commercial layer that lets a retailer promote a product, manage a business presence, or reach customers through messaging. Syria’s communications ministry said the sides would pursue follow-up steps to clear obstacles, but the announcement offered no launch date. If it happens, local small businesses could market to buyers at home and to Syrians abroad more directly—turning platforms already used for conversation into practical sales channels. The ministry presented the talks as part of moving beyond a long period of digital isolation.