Meeting Of Joint Russian-Syrian Cooperation Committee May Convene In Late 2020 - Damascus

The next session of the joint Syrian-Russian Committee for trade and economic cooperation may be held in late 2020, Syrian Economy Minister Mohammad Samer al-Khalil said in an interview with Sputnik on Tuesday, adding that the lifting of all restrictions would help the country foster trade and attract investments

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th October, 2020) The next session of the joint Syrian-Russian Committee for trade and economic cooperation may be held in late 2020, Syrian Economy Minister Mohammad Samer al-Khalil said in an interview with Sputnik on Tuesday, adding that the lifting of all restrictions would help the country foster trade and attract investments.

"Along with the importance of enhancing bilateral trade cooperation in the interests of both countries, it is likely that the next meeting of the Syrian-Russian Joint Committee for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation will take place before the end of 2020," al-Khalil said.

According to the minister, the objective of the recent visit of the high-level Syrian delegation to Moscow, which occurred as part of regular meetings between the two sides, was to "continue the recently-started talks on ways to strengthen joint economic partnership."

The minister noted that the countries friendly to Syria have sought to create a favorable international climate to support the middle Eastern country on the issues of war and terrorism, as well as on the matter of sanctions, including the so-called US Caesar Act, which came into effect in June 2020 and affected almost all areas of the Syrian economic sector.

"During the years of war, Syria's friends have sought to create a supportive environment on international platforms, especially when discussing the issues of war and terrorism that the country has been experiencing and the demand to lift unilateral coercive sanctions, including the so-called Caesar Act, as these restrictions constitute a clear violation of human rights," the minister told Sputnik.

Al-Khalil affirmed that the lifting of "all forms of sanctions" imposed on Syria would pave the way to restoring the environment to boost import and export trade operations, as well as contribute to the recovery of Syria's economy and would help to encourage investments.

The minister highlighted the importance of agreements signed between the two countries during the September visit of the top Russian delegation, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, to Syria.

Over the recent years, Moscow and Damascus have signed a number of long-term bilateral agreements in various fields of cooperation, including energy, construction, oil, agriculture and investment.