Damascus - Prime Minister Imad Khamis has said that Syria is a fertile environment for investments, especially in light of the work on the issuance of an advanced investment law that provides all necessary facilitations, including the simplification of procedures.

Khamis remarks came during his meeting on Saturday with a Russian delegation headed by Dmitry Sablin who is head of the working group for the implementation of the agreement between the al-Baath Arab Socialist Party and the United Russia party and the coordinator of the State Duma’s group for relations with the Syrian parliament, SANA reported.

He renewed the call on the Russian companies to take part in the reconstruction phase and set up projects in various fields of infrastructure, building, industrial and tourist projects.

DAMASCUS- The number of countries which confirmed participation in the 60th edition of Damascus International Fair reached 15, and the number is expected to rise to 50 countries which expressed desire to participate through official or commercial participation and agents, Director of the General Establishment for Exhibitions and International Markets Fares Kartli has underscored, according to SANA.

Speaking to SANA, Kartli pointed out that about 236 foreign companies represented by Syrian agents will participate in the Damascus International Fair, beside the local companies.

DAMASCUS – During its weekly session chaired by Prime Minister Imad Khamis, the Cabinet tasked the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform and the central follow-up committees in the provinces to expand the program of family agriculture and provide what is needed to expand it by allocating SYP one billion to implement a second phase by the beginning of the next winter season, SANA reported.

Damascus - The Cabinet allocated SYP 50 billion to the committee tasked with rebuilding the recently liberated areas with the aim of restoring the basic services to them, rehabilitating infrastructures and returning the state institutions.

During a session held on Sunday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister, Imad Khamis, the Cabinet charged the Ministry of Tourism with achieving the tourism investment map, rehabilitating and investing the tourism projects in the liberated areas, as well as training the workers in the tourism sector and encouraging the private sector to invest in this field, SANA reported.

Tourism Minister Bishr Yazigi briefed the Cabinet on the projects and the tourism investments which have been implemented and their estimated values, in addition to the revenues of the tourism sector, both public and private.

St. Petersburg, Russia - The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum kicked off here on Saturday with the participation of several countries including Syria, as well as a number of politicians and economists, to discuss the problems of the global economy and ways to strengthen economic cooperation with Russia.

The forum is held this year in its 22nd edition under the slogan "Building a confidence economy", which is attended by about 15,000 people from different countries and includes more than 90 activities.

Syria is represented at the forum by Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Dr. Mohammad Samer Al-Khalil. A delegation from the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, a number of members of the People's Assembly and a number of Syrian businessmen participate in the event.