Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi called for a speeding up of administrative pricing measures to curb the rising prices of essential goods and provide citizens' needs.
During a weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Halqi said the government will rally resources to achieve food, industrial and energy security in order to reach self-sufficiency, noting that support for the agricultural sector and the Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Ministry are among the priorities of the government to ensure the availability of food and consumer products.
The Prime Minister instructed the Petroleum Ministry to ensure the availability of petroleum products in all provinces, especially after Syria received oil shipments that should meet the country’s needs for more than one year.
Halqi also spoke about the government's efforts to stabilize the exchange rate of the Syrian Pound and gradually return it to normal, confirming that the government will prosecute anyone who tries to manipulate exchange rates.
Halqi reviewed ongoing meetings of the Higher Council for Economic and Social Planning and discussions for the state budget for 2014. He stressed the need to curb squandering, unjustified expenditures and negligence.
He pointed out that the investment plants for 2014 focus on achieving food security, and that the government is working to provide all necessary food materials through imports.
The meeting also discussed the situation in Deir El-Zor and means to limit the pollution caused by terrorist attacks on oil fields as well as theft and primitive refining processes.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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