Is it legal to trade with Syria now?
Yes, and the change is recent and real. The EU lifted its economic sanctions on Syria in May 2025 and restored the EU–Syria Cooperation Agreement in May 2026. The United States terminated its comprehensive sanctions programme with effect from 1 July 2025, the Caesar Act was repealed effective January 2026, and the state-sponsor-of-terrorism designation was rescinded in August 2026. The headline is true and the small print matters. Targeted EU and US sanctions remain in force against named individuals and entities, and export controls still apply to certain goods. We screen every counterparty against the EU consolidated list and the OFAC SDN list, and we structure each transaction for full compliance. We will not tell you that all sanctions have been lifted, and we will not name any bank or entity as “safe” — screening is done per transaction, in writing, every time.
Do you charge the buyer or the supplier?
One or the other, never both. We represent one side of the table, and the side that pays us is the side whose interests we defend. If you are our client, we take no commission, rebate or “marketing contribution” from the supplier we put in front of you, and we will confirm that in writing for your engagement on request. It is the only way the shortlist means anything.
Which countries do you cover?
On the European side, sourcing across the whole European Union, with our deepest networks in Portugal and Germany — the two markets where we have our own people. On the eastern side, our focus is Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar in the Gulf, plus the wider GCC, and Syria in the Levant. Our team is present in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Syria, Portugal and Germany.
Can you get me an exclusive dealership?
We can negotiate for one, and we are candid about what “exclusive” can mean in each market. What we do is map the European manufacturers genuinely open to appointing a distributor in your territory, approach them in their own language, present your house, and negotiate the letter of intent and then the distribution agreement — territory, exclusivity, minimum purchase, marketing commitments, term and renewal. The nuance you should hear early: registered commercial agencies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reserved for nationals and wholly nationally-owned entities. We structure agreements accordingly, with local counsel, so the exclusivity you sign is enforceable rather than decorative.
How do you verify a supplier?
Commercial registry extract and ownership check first — a surprising number of “manufacturers” are trading intermediaries. Then financial standing, export record into the Gulf, and customer references we telephone ourselves. Then the product: samples, and testing against the specification where the category warrants it. Where the order size justifies the trip, one of our specialists visits the plant and reports back with photographs, capacity observations and quality-control notes. Before shipment, a pre-shipment inspection while the balance is still unpaid.
Which certifications do imports into Saudi Arabia and the UAE need?
For Saudi Arabia, most regulated products require registration on the SABER platform, with a product certificate of conformity and then a shipment certificate of conformity issued against SASO standards; food, cosmetics and medical devices route through the SFDA. Saudi conformity is handled through SABER rather than consular legalisation. For the UAE, regulated goods go through ECAS or the Emirates Quality Mark with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and the GSO G-Mark applies across the GCC for the categories it covers. Halal certification applies to food and to some cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. We manage these files as part of the mandate rather than leaving them with your supplier, and we start them early — certification is the single most common reason a container waits.
What languages do you work in?
Arabic, English, German and Portuguese, inside the team. That means the RFQ goes to a German manufacturer in German, the distribution agreement is negotiated in the language the other side thinks in, and your Arabic documentation reads as though it was written in Arabic. Nothing is handed to a translation agency and nothing reaches you as a summary of a summary.
How do fees work?
Three models. A project fee for a defined engagement with a defined end — a sourcing mandate, a market assessment, a certification file — agreed in writing before we start. A monthly retainer with a reduced commission on volume for ongoing programmes. A success fee for dealership acquisition, triggered on a signed agreement and not before. We publish no rate card, because no two mandates have been the same. You always get the fee, the scope and the exclusions in writing before any work begins, and there are no hidden supplier-side commissions behind any of it.