Syria and India discuss enhancing cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical industries

Cooperation between Syria and India in the field of pharmaceutical industries was the focus of the interactive session held by the Indian Embassy in Damascus at the Dama Rose Hotel on Wednesday.

The Chambers of Industry and Commerce and a number of pharmaceutical companies in Syria took part in the session.

The First Secretary for Commercial Affairs at the Indian Embassy Vijay Pandey made a presentation on the development of the pharmaceutical industries in his country, on possible areas of cooperation and investment and on what India is providing in terms of raw materials to many pharmaceutical companies in the world, especially qualitative medicine.

He called for expanding cooperation between the two countries in this field, which contributes to the development of the pharmaceutical sector in Syria and benefits the two friendly peoples.

The Indian Ambassador to Damascus Irshad Ahmed explained in a statement to reporters that the aim of the session was to discuss prospects of cooperation, including the delivery of pharmaceutical products from Indian companies to Syria.

He said that the Syrian-Indian partnership in the field of pharmaceutical products is very important, but it is waiting for the lifting of coercive measures on Syria and the improvement of the general commercial climate in in the country. He stressed that India and the Indian pharmaceutical companies are ready for commercial cooperation in the field of medicines, but readiness is not sufficient in the light of the existence of these coercive measures which constitute an obstacle, including the difficulty of bank transfers which must be removed to achieve the hoped-for cooperation.”

For his part, Head of the Federation of the Syrian Chambers of Industry Ghazwan Al-Masry said that the Federation submitted a proposal to the Indian Ambassador in Damascus for training Syrian cadres in the field of pharmaceutical industries as part of India’s training courses for Syrians on a number of specializations to increase expertise in this field.

He pointed out that the source of most of the raw materials for pharmaceutical products manufactured in Syria is India, which opens the way for increasing trade exchange between the two sides with the development of these industries in Syria. He also stressed the importance of establishing joint Syrian-Indian partnerships to overcome sanctions, especially in the light of the government’s trend towards partnership with the private sector to advance and overcome the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria.

For his part, Head of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Basil Hamwi indicated that there are new promising opportunities for joint cooperation as Syria has started to get out of its crisis and it is seeking the highest levels of advancement and development. He pointed to the desire of the business sector in Syria to enhance cooperation with its Indian counterpart in all fields.

The head of the Damascus branch of the Pharmacists Syndicate Hassan Dirawan stressed the importance of India providing facilities for importing raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry, especially cancer drugs and vaccines necessary to meet the needs of the Syrian market. He explained that the Syndicate is working to develop cooperation through conferences, inviting Indian companies and supporting the sending of Syrian pharmacists to India to hold training courses there.

Hamda Mustafa