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Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa stirred wide controversy on social media and across Egyptian and Iraqi media circles following remarks describing Egypt and Iraq as unsuccessful.
He praised Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Türkiye as “successful countries,” adding that “with all due respect to the other countries such as Egypt and Iraq.”
“But these countries work twice as hard and keep pace with technological and technical advancements,” he explained.
He made his remarks during his participation in the “Future Investment Initiative 2025” conference in Riyadh.
This statement sparked widespread anger, with reactions mixed regarding Sharaa’s remarks—particularly in Egypt, where many viewed them as a serious insult.
Others, however, considered his comments merely a misjudged choice of words.
Using "with all due respect to the other" opens the door to many possible interpretations of the remark.
Egyptian TV host Ahmed Moussa was among the first critics, expressing his anger on the platform X.
He criticized Sharaa’s remarks about Egypt, saying that he “may not be aware of the unprecedented development taking place in Egypt, perhaps due to the years he spent in caves leading terrorist militias.”
He added that Egypt received historic praise from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who commended the massive progress and unprecedented infrastructure.
Moussa wrote, “If Egypt were not developed or successful, millions of Syrians would not have remained here. And for the record, Syria would need 30 years to achieve even a quarter of the development that has taken place in Egypt.”
This controversy marks the second dispute between the two sides in recent months.
Earlier, protests took place near the Umayyad Mosque and the Al-Hamidiyah Souq in Damascus, where some demonstrators raised slogans criticizing Egypt’s position on the war in Gaza.
The incident triggered anger in Egyptian media, which accused Syrian parties of attempting to “undermine Cairo’s role” and “fabricate claims regarding the Rafah crossing and Egypt’s humanitarian efforts.”
In an attempt to contain the controversy, Hussein al-Sharaa, the father of the Syrian president, issued remarks saying that “any insult to Egypt is an insult to the Levant.”
He stressed that Egypt “is the elder brother—historically, in the present, and in the future—to all Arab nations.”
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