TEHRAN (Iran News) – President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he wanted to expand business ties with Russia to help Syria cope with new US sanctions on its economy that threaten to undermine military gains Damascus achieved with Moscow’s help.
Assad spoke during a meeting in Damascus with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Reuters reported.
Russia Lavrov told a news conference Syria needed international help to rebuild its economy. Borisov said Russia was helping Syria to fix its power plants but said oil output could not resume as the fields were in areas outside government control.
Syria and Russia, whose military support since 2015 helped Damascus reverse gains by terrorists and militants in an almost decade-long war, had said the two sides planned to boost trade ties and would review energy, mining and power projects.
“The government was determined to continue to work with Russian allies to implement signed agreements and to ensure the success of Russian investments in Syria,” Assad said.
Borisov said Moscow had presented proposals in July to expand economic ties and expected an agreement would be sealed in December on his next visit to Syria’s capital. He said Moscow wanted to help Damascus break the blockade of US sanctions.
Although the Syrian government has now regained most of the territory it had lost in the war, the economy is in tatters.
Russia has criticized the new US sanctions that took effect in June under the so-called Caesar Act.
- source : Iran Daily
