In the ministerial statement before the People’s Assembly, Eng. Arnous confirms enhancing the nation’s steadfastness, increasing production, and improving the living situation

 The People’s Assembly held its first ordinary session of the third legislative term to discuss the ministerial statement of the government that includes its work program for the next phase. The session was held under the chairmanship of   Hammouda Sabbagh, Speaker of the People’s Assembly, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Engineer Hussein Arnous, and the ministers.

At the beginning of the session, the Assembly referred a number of draft laws to the special committees to study and prepare the necessary reports on them.

In a speech before the PA, Sabbagh affirmed that the People’s Assembly and the Ministers will work together to serve the interests of the people and the nation, indicating that Syria has successfully passed an important stage in confronting aggression, terrorism and all kinds of economic, media, psychological and diplomatic wars that are in constant escalation, especially after the great victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army.

 

Sabbagh saluted the Syrian Arab Army, the martyrs,  the wounded, and the steadfast Syrian people who stand behind their army and their leader. He stressed the need to adhere to the approach that President Bashar al-Assad spoke about in his speeches to the members of Parliament and government in dealing with tasks and challenges, the most important headline is the ability to meet the needs of the people in the best possible and available way in light of the pressures and siege that Syria is exposed to.

Eng. Arnous: The government prioritizes increasing incomes, preserving the purchasing power of the lira, and rationalizing imports

Prime Minister Hussein Arnous affirmed that the government is prioritizing enhancing the nation’s steadfastness and security, improving the living situation, increasing income, reducing the burden on low-income earners, preserving the purchasing power of lira, providing oil products, gas, electricity and medicine, and continuing to take the necessary measures to limit the spread of the Corona pandemic.

Eng. Arnous reviewed the policies pursued by the government in various sectors and areas of work. He underscored the importance of consolidating national dialogue, completing reconciliations, restoring life to the affected areas, enhancing the culture of citizenship, addressing the phenomenon of displacement, asylum, files of kidnapped and missing persons, and delivering aid to all regions.

The Prime Minister noted that the government is looking forward to laying down a homogeneous package of economic policies, preparing and following up the implementation of plans and programs, optimal employment of the available capabilities, upgrading the performance of institutions, and achieving justice and equality in the distribution of income.

Eng. Arnous affirmed that the government is committed to increasing production, limiting the link with foreign markets, ensuring the needs of the local market, reducing foreign exchange demand, increasing exports, and activating the partnership between the public and private sectors.

In the field of fiscal policy, the Premier said that the government is committed to improving revenues, improving the efficiency of public spending, developing laying down of the state’s general budget, stimulating the national economy, gradually moving to the sales tax system and the unified income tax and applying the electronic billing and collection system.

In the field of internal trade, Eng. Arnous indicated that the government seeks to reach an organized and effective market while ensuring the protection of the producer and the consumer together, developing control mechanisms and providing strategic reserves of basic materials and commodities. He stressed the need to rehabilitate silos and mills and establish new others, increase production lines for bakeries, and pursue a frank relationship with the citizen to enhance confidence and activate partnership with the national private sector.

Eng.Arnous underlined the importance of developing the agricultural sector, improving the reality of food security, supporting agricultural production and agro-industries, providing all production requirements, and achieving a sustainable stock of important crops. He noted that government attention is focused on the sustainability of water resources, improving the technical and economic efficiency of water use, and implementing and rehabilitating irrigation projects and sewage lines, constructing water dams, and securing a supportive water source and reserves for drinking water.

Eng. Arnous affirmed that the government is committed to reforming the industrial public sector, introducing new industries, promoting the use of technology and optimal investment for available labor, developing the tourism sector, enhancing the tourism investment, and completing many popular tourism projects.

Taking steps to achieve energy security and provide the largest possible amount of oil products

Eng. Arnous indicated the government’s commitment to take steps to achieve energy security and provide the largest possible amount of oil derivatives according to the priorities that serve production, work to reuse of  oil and gas  facilities and installations affected in the energy sector.

Eng. Arnous affirmed that the government would follow up the implementation of the national strategy for housing, develop plans for the return of the displaced, and enable the private sector to implement urban projects that are parallel to the role of the public sector in this regard.

Eng. Arnous pointed to the government’s commitment to developing transport networks in accordance with the perspective of balanced development, linking Syria with neighboring countries, linking production centers with export gates, connecting free zones with railways, establishing dry ports, and maintaining the readiness and development of Syria’s airports and ports.

Eng. Arnous indicated that the government would work to improve the quality of communications and informatics, continue work on the e-government project, and develop the system of government transactions across the network and electronic payment system.

Eng. Arnous affirmed the government’s commitment to continuing to support the educational sector, raise its level, link education to the labor market, and provide the requirements of the educational process.

The importance of improving administrative performance:

Eng. Arnous highlighted the importance of improving administrative performance, increasing economic growth, achieving social justice, enhancing the role of the media in serving the country and the citizen, creating an appropriate environment for freedom of the media and respecting different opinions in order to raise public issues and problems to deal with them objectively and responsibly.

Eng. Arnous said that the government is committed to providing the material and human support necessary to implement goals of the National Project for Administrative Reform.

Eng. Arnous affirmed that the government is committed to embracing creativity, providing care for intellectuals and innovators, and enhancing their role in the economic development.

Continuing to support the Syrian Arab Army in its fight against terrorism and work to liberate all occupied Syrian territories

Eng. Arnous stressed the government’s commitment to continue their support of the the Syrian Arab Army in its fight against terrorism and to work to liberate all occupied Syrian lands and to continue to pursue the principles of the Syrian foreign policy.

Eng. Arnous referred to the importance of continuing coordination and cooperation and strengthening joint efforts with allied and friendly countries in various fields.

Eng. Arnous stressed the government’s commitment to continue dealing with serious and sincere initiatives in order to end the war on the basis of preserving the unity of Syria’s land and people and not interfering in its internal affairs and that its future is an exclusive right for the Syrian people and that the effective political process is that based on a Syrian-Syrian dialogue.

Eng. Arnous affirmed that the Golan is a Syrian Arab land and will remain so, and that Syria continues to work to liberate it and confront any attempts by the Israeli occupation entity and its supporters to perpetuate its occupation and continue to support the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Al-Quds as its capital.

In their interventions, a number of members of the People’s Assembly called for an increase insalaries and wages for workers in the public and private sectors, exemption from the increase in income tax, and improvement of the citizens’ conditions of living.

Some MPs considered that the government statement did not address the detailed mechanisms for dealing with the crises of  the Corona epidemic, oil derivatives, electricity, water and medicine and the devaluation of the Syrian pound..

With regard to the media, a number of MPs  emphasized the importance of enhancing  the role of the media in addressing citizens’ problems on the ground with full transparency so that the official media becomes the real source of information for citizens instead of websites and social media pages.

A number of members called for securing an alternative and permanent water source for the Governorate of Al-Hasakah and increasing the number of water dams in the Governorate of Lattakia, with the aim of compensating for the shortage of drinking water in it.

A number of members called for reconsidering the decision to dispose of the citizen $ 100 upon entry into the country.

O. al-Mohammad / Inas Abdulkareem