... which supports the Syrian Kurds, is crucial. Without oil, gas and food supplies from Kurdish-controlled areas, the authorities in Damascus will not be able to launch a full-scale sustainable reconstruction. Turkey alone cannot fill this gap, as its own economy is not able to provide Syria with the necessary assistance. Ankara can contribute if other actors (the Gulf states, Europe and the U.S.) pay for it. That said, international humanitarian and reconstruction efforts will be as crucial to the country as they were during the past ...
The process of lifting sanctions will be slow, and the legal mechanisms of unilateral US sanctions against Syria may remain in force for years and decades, despite political changes
The change of power in Syria raises the question of possible changes to the US sanctions regime against the country. Over the past two decades, Syria has been among the countries ...
... Road. Notably, although Syria’s active inclusion into BRI should have a favorable impact on the country’s reconstruction, building the infrastructure necessary for the project requires subsequent maintenance, i.e. additional costs in the future. Syria’s economy is far from being stable, and whether Damascus can afford this is an open question.
Lebanon: another point on the BRI map
Ruslan Mamedov:
Iraq in the World Dis(Order)
Zhai Jun, the Chinese government’s special envoy on the Middle East,
stated
...
... Russia’s gold exports to the Emirates in 2022 totaled 75.7 tons or $4.3 billion.
Another important factor shaping the Middle East’s approach to international relations is Turkey’s foreign policy. Particularly important, is Turkey’s position on Syria prior to the presidential elections in May 2023, and the new aspects it has now acquired following the victory of incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Judging by the leadership’s recent steps, Turkey wants to maintain continuity with its ...
... balanced relations based on principles like the respecting sovereignty and non-interference of world powers (not only Russia, but also the United States, and China), as well as regional players.
Ivan Bocharov:
In the Grips of the Army: The Egyptian Economy
From the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the situation in Libya, Russia and Egypt share similar positions on many issues on the region’s agenda. It is also important that Egypt favors restoring Syria's sovereignty over all its territories, although Cairo has not restored diplomatic relations with Damascus yet.
Cooperation between Russia and Egypt in the energy sector deserves special attention. In 2015, Gazprom and Egyptian company EGAS signed ...
... coupled with the decentralization of state power and the development of local self-government, may be key in resolving the Syrian crisis. Economic reintegration may prove to be a catalyst for the peace process. This working paper presents a political economy model for the settlement of the situation in Syria. The author explores the positions of Russia, Iran and China in Syria and their points of interaction. Possible scenarios for the development of the situation in Syria are analysed in detail, as are the modalities of the impact of the Ukraine crisis ...
... Senior Researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS
On May 12, 2022, there was a presentation of the book dedicated to the modern economic legislation of the Arab countries on the example of Syria. The event was held at the State Historic Public Library of Russia (SHPL). The book was presented by Igor Matveev, the author of the book, Senior Researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS....
... economic aid to Damascus
The ninth year of internal armed conflict has brought new challenges to Syria. According to
data from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
published on September 23, 2020, the damage done to the Syrian economy by the end of 2019 exceeded USD 442 bn. Still, under sanctions and with no international consensus on how to finance recovery, the country has not only failed to overcome the acute economic crisis but has also been hit by the negative consequences ...
... Syria, moot.
The potential of Abkhazia and Crimea, which have already been hit by sanctions, to act as intermediaries is objectively increasing. For instance, the
Agreement between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea and the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade of the Syrian Arab Republic on Trade and Economic Cooperation as part of plans to create a joint trading house to export grain and industrial products to Syria with payments to be made in roubles, and the
Agreement on Cooperation between the Government of the ...
... military pressure on Iran, secure supplies can only be provided with the liberation of oil fields in the east or the replacement of Iranian oil with Russian oil. In the meantime, Russian companies are also threatened by the US’ secondary sanctions.
The Syrian economy took a big hit by the financial crisis in Lebanon, whose banking sector had always opened a window to the outside world for Syria. About a quarter of deposits in Lebanese banks belong to Syrian business, including government-related companies....
