Syria, China sign letter on importing communications and software equipment

DAMASCUS, Jul.20, (ST)-Syria and China on Wednesday signed a mutual letter on importing communications and software equipment for the Ministry of Communications and Technology.

In a statement to reporters, the Minister of Communications and Technology, Iyad Al-Khatib, said that the project will be implemented in two phases, at a total cost of $30 million, noting that the equipment to be provided in accordance with the project plays a major role in restoring the communications system to what it was before and also contributes to serving many areas in the network, which contributes to the return of the people, who left their houses due to the conditions of the terrorist war on Syria, which led to the destruction of a large part of the communications system, especially in the countryside.

For his part, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Damascus, Feng Biao, referred to the deep- rooted relations between his country and Syria in various fields, stressing that China will continue to provide aid to Syria in the reconstruction phase, including the telecommunications sector, which contributes to the rehabilitation of the sites of telecommunication stations and is reflected in the benefit of the Syrian people.

The head of the Planning Commission Fadi Salti Al-Khalil said that the project will provide 370,000 gates and it will be implemented in 136 locations distributed in 8 governorates.

“The first phase of it will be implemented in Aleppo, Damascus countryside, Hama, and Deir Ezzourr governorates, while the second one will be implemented in Daraa, Quneitra, Idlib and Raqqa governorates,”, he clarified, indicating that the project will provide network services to more than 2 million people in the areas in which it is implemented.

Executive Director-General of the Syrian Telecommunication Company Sief Eddin Al-Hasan indicated that the company rehabilitated the infrastructure of the telecommunications network in the areas that have been subjected to terrorism to be ready to receive the equipment, and upon its arrival, the availability of the gates and the places within them will be announced to those wishing to obtain.

The letter was signed at the headquarters of the Planning and International Cooperation Commission in Damascus, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Basma Qaddour & Hamda Mustafa