The Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources in the Syrian caretaker government, Ghiath Diab, said that the oil sector is suffering from several difficulties after the fall of the former regime, denouncing the continuation of sanctions on Damascus, while several foreign countries and institutions announced that they are seeking to help Syria and participate in projects there.
The Minister of Oil explained – in statements carried by the official news agency (SANA) – on Monday that there are many factors that constitute an obstacle to securing oil derivatives in Syria.
He said, “A number of oil wells are still outside the administration of the Syrian state, and this is one of the largest and most prominent obstacles and increases the suffering of the people.”
Regarding the issue of sanctions, Diab stressed that “there is no meaning in continuing the sanctions imposed on Syria after getting rid of the former regime and its allies.” He added that the regime was “depending on its allies to supply oil, and was not affected by those sanctions as the new Syria is affected today.”
He pointed out that the continuation of the sanctions “causes a state of scarcity and instability, as it has caused the cessation of the sea import of oil.”
On the other hand, several parties announced their willingness to provide aid to Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
German aid
The German government said on Monday that it would provide 60 million euros ($62.70 million) to support projects in Syria to “promote education and women’s rights” and other sectors.
But the German government’s Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development clarified that all these projects will be managed by non-governmental organizations and United Nations relief agencies and not by the new Syrian authorities.
Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze said in a statement that there is a “historic opportunity” in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. According to the statement, approximately half of the projects focus on education, as 25 million euros will be directed to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and 6 million euros to the “Archi Nova” relief organization, which runs schools for about 3,000 children.
The German minister added, “We clearly defined our expectations: an educational system free of intellectual affiliations, discrimination, and exclusion.”
According to the statement, another 19 million euros will go to the United Nations Development Programme, while Syrian non-governmental organizations will receive 7 million euros, and 3 million euros will be provided to a special United Nations fund to support Syrian women’s organizations.
The Commander-in-Chief of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, meets in… #Damascus Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepiga and his accompanying delegation #album pic.twitter.com/puU9JUSj3S
– Al Jazeera Syria (@AJA_Syria) December 30, 2024
On the other hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepiga – who met with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Damascus today, Monday – said that Ukraine will send more shipments of food aid to Syria, after delivering 20 shipments of flour expected to arrive tomorrow, Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last Friday that his country had sent the first batch of food aid to Syria, which included 500 tons of flour, as part of a humanitarian initiative called “Grains from Ukraine” in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Program.
