Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani stressed that lifting the sanctions imposed on Damascus during the era of ousted President Bashar al-Assad is the “key to stability” for the country, in an intervention during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
Al-Shaibani said, in an interview with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, “Lifting economic sanctions is the key to Syria’s stability,” adding, “They must be lifted soon because they were imposed in the past for the benefit of the Syrian people, but now they are against the Syrian people.”
The minister said that a committee of experts from various components of the Syrian people will work to draft a constitution after holding a national dialogue.
Al-Shaibani indicated that Syria will open its economy to foreign investment, and he also said that it is working to establish partnerships with Gulf countries in the energy and electricity sector in Syria.
Clear messages
In an interview with the Financial Times, Al-Shaibani said that the vision of the ousted regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad, “was a security state, but our vision is economic development,” adding that “there must be a law and clear messages to open the way for foreign investors.” And encouraging Syrian investors to return to Syria,” according to what Syria TV reported on Wednesday.
According to Al-Shaibani, these challenges and damages include the discovery of debts worth $30 billion to Iran and Russia, non-existent foreign reserves in the Central Bank, inflation of public sector salaries, and the decline of production sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, which were neglected and undermined by the corrupt policies of the Assad era.
Al-Shaibani pointed out that “the challenges ahead are enormous, and will take years to address,” explaining that the new government “is working to form a committee to study the economic situation and infrastructure in Syria, and will focus on privatization efforts, including oil, cotton, and furniture factories.”
Politically, the Syrian Foreign Minister said that the new government does not plan to export the revolution or interfere in the affairs of other countries.
Al-Shaybani also renewed his pledge to guarantee the rights of the Kurds in the new constitution and their representation in the government, considering that the presence of the Syrian Democratic Forces is no longer justified in the country.
