On Sunday, the People’s Assembly began its first meeting of the sixth regular session, in the presence of Prime Minister Hussein Arnous and several ministers.
In a presentation to the Assembly on the government’s overall performance and its plans, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of continuous cooperation and coordination between the legislative and executive branches. This approach aims to achieve the best services for citizens, addressing all challenges and difficulties, and seeking balanced development in various sectors.
Arnous reviewed the most important service and economic achievements that highlight the government’s efforts to deal with the daily lived reality, as well as ways to approach and follow up the medium and long-term development plans. He pointed out that the Syrian state, led by President Bashar al-Assad, has defined its choices and priorities in the interests of our country and our people.
“In light of the difficult economic realities that our country has been experiencing — which result from the war on terror and its supporters for more than a decade — and in the light of the reliance on oil and grain imports — particularly wheat — the past weeks and months have seen increasing difficulties in ensuring regular supplies,” Arnous said.
Arnous expressed his appreciation to Syrian citizens for their patience and understanding of the situation’s reality. He also stressed that the government was making every effort to alleviate these difficulties and provide the best possible levels of services, within the means currently available.
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He explained that the availability of oil derivatives depends mainly on the arrival of supplies from abroad. Ensuring the arrival of these supplies remains a preoccupation and leading priority for the government; this issue is managed according to daily and round-the-clock tracking reports, as well as through direct communication between all channels concerned with the matter.
Arnous pointed out that the supply of oil derivatives was cut off for more than 30 days, which occurred despite all efforts to overcome the situation. In particular, enemies of the Syrian people had detained some tankers, including one carrying 800,000 barrels of oil, preventing their arrival. This development forced the government to rationalize the distribution of available oil supplies in order to prolong the availability of limited quantities to the market, in addition to ensuring the continued supply of some public institutions — such as hospitals, bakeries, pumping stations for drinking water, some agricultural infrastructure, and others.
Arnous said that the government is working on two parallel strategies at the same time. It is seeking to provide as many materials and goods as possible to meet the needs of citizens on the one hand, while also adjusting the distribution schemes available to ensure as much justice and efficiency as possible through electronic card distribution mechanisms.
Arnous also addressed efforts to develop short, medium, and long-term recovery plans for the national economy, as well as an environment conducive to sustainable recovery and overcoming the effects of the war imposed on the country. The government is also promoting domestic production because it is the most successful and efficient option for achieving economic and social development.
The Prime minister indicated that the government has paid great attention to the reconstruction and restructuring of the industrial public sector, providing unconditional support to it. This focus has applied especially in the field of food production, where the Economic Committee has made several recommendations to support the industrial sector by raising lending ceilings for industrial projects. This has been done through the adoption of controls and standards that ensure the investment of funds in the right channels. The government launched a “special program to support export-oriented industrial production for 2022” to enhance the capacity of this sector to reach foreign markets, revitalize domestic production, and provide effective sources of foreign currency.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
