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Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad discussed in Damascus yesterday with a Russian delegation that included the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister, the economic cooperation between the two allies, to support Damascus in the face of the economic sanctions imposed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Damascus on his first visit to Syria since 2012, a year after the outbreak of the conflict, to join a delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, who arrived Sunday night.
Al-Assad highlighted during the delegation meeting on Monday: “The determination of the Syrian government to continue working with Russian allies to implement the agreements signed between the two countries, including the success of Russian investments in Syria.”
According to the official account of the Syrian presidency on the application of “Telegram”, efforts were discussed “to reach new agreements, so that they contribute to achieving the interests of the two countries and mitigate the effects of the policy of coercive sanctions that they pursue. some countries”.
The presidency added that “there was agreement on the importance of starting the implementation of mechanisms to circumvent the economic siege and pressure on the Syrian people,” without clarifying what the mechanisms are and how to implement them.
The visit of the Russian delegation comes at a time when Syria is experiencing a suffocating economic crisis exacerbated by economic sanctions and the last one imposed by Washington under the “Caesar Law” since June, considered the most severe against Syria.
During a joint press conference with Lavrov and Borisov, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said: “I can confirm … that the future of relations with friends in Russia is promising and promising regarding the situation economic and political “. In response to a question, he added: “I am optimistic and preach to our people that the general economic situation will find an improvement in the coming days and months.”
In recent years, Moscow has signed bilateral agreements with Damascus and long-term contracts in various fields, including energy, construction, oil, and agriculture. In the summer of 2019, the Syrian People’s Assembly approved a contract with a Russian company to manage and invest the port of Tartus, the largest in the country. The same company had previously won a contract to invest in and extract phosphates from mines in the Palmyra region (east) for fifty years.
During the conference, Borisov spoke about a “new agreement” to strengthen economic and trade cooperation that Russia presented, pending the Syrian response and its signature on another visit to Damascus later this year.
He referred to the reconstruction projects of 40 private infrastructure facilities in the energy field, as well as a work contract with a Russian company to extract oil from Syrian waters that is still pending approval.
He considered that “economic isolation and sanctions, including the Caesar Law, prevent foreign investment from the Syrian economy”, adding: “It is an economic blockade that we are working to violate with our joint efforts.”
Borisov announced during a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous that Russia “will continue to support Syria, either in its war on terror and on the political level, or in rebuilding the Syrian economy.”
Lavrov, in turn, spoke of “new priorities” in Syria, among which he highlighted “reconstruction” and obtaining international support to achieve it.
Regarding the Constitutional Committee, which the United Nations suspended its work last month after participants were found to be infected with the Corona virus, Lavrov said “there is no timetable” for finishing its work.
He said: “Today we discussed in detail, during our lengthy talks with Mr. Bashar Al-Assad, the situation on the ground. We concluded that there is relative calm in Syria and we must work to consolidate this trend.” He expressed “confidence that the last nests of terrorism in Syria will be defeated.”
Al-Muallem explained that, “With regard to the next constitution, this is what the members of the Constitutional Committee come to … If they want to amend the existing constitution or produce a new constitution, in both cases, the product will be put to a referendum. popular”.
Russia is one of the most prominent allies of Damascus along with Iran, and since the beginning of the conflict it has provided diplomatic and economic support, defended it in international forums and banned several draft resolutions condemning the regime in the Security Council. His military intervention since 2015 has contributed to reversing the balance of power in favor of the Syrian army.
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