The Assad government has spared no effort to collect the money necessary to continue and finance the war. From added bills to amended taxes, the sale of real estate at a time when properties aren't valid for sale, and the seizure and confiscation of money and property,
Manaf Talas, Riyad Naasan Agha, Nabil Kuzbari, Ayman Asfari, Zuhair Sahloul and Maher Assad's brother-in-law Mahmoud Anzaruti, have all had their assets seized.
In parallel the government has offered for sale, rent or investment all that can be, from oil and gas contracts to Russia, even raw phosphate.
In circumstances where killing and bombardment and destruction of infrastructure is daily, the economy geniuses are now preparing to open an exhibition and announce new tourism projects for investment.
The director of tourism projects in the Ministry of Tourism has revealed the ministry is preparing to hold a forum for tourism investment and "expose nearly 25 tourist sites to invest in as small and medium sized investments concentrated in the field of entertainment tourism, two and three-star hotels, restaurants and parks, as well as touristic activities such as boat trips and open buses to cities and tourist areas in Syria."
Who can invest in Syria, where the most optimistic reports indicate that the war will not come to an end for years, even if we assumed that those who are still inside Syria have money to invest?
But if the projects are to be based solely in the coastal cities, that is different. Following the instructions of the President of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Industry, Fares Shehabi, to transfer the investments and industrial projects to the coastal region, we may deduce that the "upcoming small state" will need some projects, so the ministry has rushed to declare this market open.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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