Syrian Government Presents its Ministerial Statement

DAMASCUS-The new Syrian government presented its ministerial statement during a People’s Assembly session held yesterday.

Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi outlined the government’s economic, social and cultural policies based on the rules of the constitution and the directives provided in President Bashar al-Assad’s speeches after taking the oath of office and after the new government ministers were sworn in.

He said the “ministerial statement is a clear national work plan to enhance national institutions’ performance in the confrontation of the global war hatched against Syria and to prepare the suitable ground for the mobilization of all spectra of the Syrian society in the coming era to provide elements of recovery, reconstruction and development.”

Need to link security, social and economic goals

The premier added that the ongoing challenges necessitates form the government to link between the security, social and economic goals, affirming that the government will press ahead with fighting terrorism across the Syrian land in parallel with providing citizens’ basic and relief needs, consolidating national reconciliation, improving people’s living conditions, applying administrative reforms, combating corruption and ensuring proper environment for reconstruction.

“The war being waged on Syria by colonialists’ western countries and their agents in some Arab states poses a great security, political, economic and social challenge. This war has caused huge damage to the state’s human and financial resources as it has encouraged systematic terrorism in Syria” al-Halqi said, stressing the Syrian Arab Army’s determination to eradicate terrorism.

The prime minister hailed the role played by the Syrian diplomacy to uncovering the goals of the West–backed brutal terrorist takfiri war on Syria and in pressuring the international community to support the battle against terrorism.

He stressed the Syrian government’s keenness to boost ties with friendly countries, particularly Iran, Russia, China and the rest of BRICS states as well as all the powers which support the Syrian causes and work to lift the unjust economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people.

Supporting National Reconciliation

According to the prime minister, the government will keep supporting national reconciliation efforts to defeat the conspiracy and launch a political process based on national dialogue in which all the Syrians are engaged away from any form of foreign interference.

Human Development Sector

In the human development sector, the government, as al-Halqi said, will work to create the suitable environment to benefit from the human resources and to rebuild social services to enhance the performance of all the state’s sectors.

The government will keep providing distinguished health services and supporting national pharmaceutical industries. Education and higher education will also be accorded special interest. More emphasis is to be put on supporting effective social affairs’ system to provide social protection for women and children and on reactivating women’s role as a partner in ending the war and attainting social peace, according to the prime minister.

Infrastructure

Al-Halqi affirmed that the government will deal with the issue of providing the energy necessary to the citizens and to all sectors concerned in the reconstruction process through rehabilitating electricity stations, implementing new projects and finding alternative energy sources, like renewable energy.

Framework to manage reconstruction process 

The prime minister pointed out that the government will depend on developing and reactivating the mechanisms of implementing the organizational designs dedicated for the areas affected by terrorism in all Syrian provinces and in the areas of random housing. He affirmed the government’s support for the work of the public, private and joint sectors to achieve its goals in implementing projects targeting citizens with limited income, particularly the project of building 50.000 housing units.

He asserted that the economic sector is the main base on which the rebuilding process depends, pointing out that the government will give priority in the agricultural sector to enhancing production capabilities to maintain food security.

Government’s focus will also be made on enhancing and protecting small and medium-sized industries, particularly the textile, food, pharmaceutical and building materials industries with special emphasis on exports, being the main supporter of hard currency. Besides, the government will continue working to achieve stability of prices and to prevent manipulation.

According to the prime minister, al-Halqi said the government will support investment through the issuance a new investment law to attract local and foreign investment.

Hamda Mustafa