India has provided credit lines worth US$280 million to Syria to build a power plant and steel plant in the country. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad detailed the agreement, during an interview with India’s WION TV during a visit to New Delhi.
“I will not list the areas where India is helping Syria, but I can tell you directly that India has spared no effort to help Syria in this difficult time and move forward in the economic and cultural relations that bind Syria and India,” Mekdad commented on the agreement. He stressed that “we agreed to increase economic cooperation,” noting that “India is providing scholarships to rebuild our education system, rebuild destroyed schools and other facilities and work together.”
Mekdad stressed during the interview with Indian television: “The United States occupies the northeastern part of Syria, which is the best place in Syria to produce oil, agriculture, cotton and wheat, and is considered the food basket of Syria. The United States controls this part in a way that weakens Syria or prolongs the crisis so that its agents can be active there.”
“Before 2010, the whole of Syria had access to energy 24 hours a day, now it’s only two hours of electricity, and in some places we don’t have electricity at all,” he said.
“That’s why we need the help of our friends India and Russia from all those countries that are looking to help others and eliminate the threat of terrorism that could spread beyond Syria.”
He added: “The United States is trying to give the impression that Syria is isolated, but Syria is not isolated. Almost all Arab countries, except for one or two embassies, have embassies in Damascus. We have embassies in several European countries, our embassies operate in Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Rome, Athens and Budapest, and in Asia, our embassies have not been affected. We have an Indian embassy in Damascus and the Syrian embassy in Delhi as well as our embassies in China, Malaysia and Indonesia.”
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.
