Russia, Syria to expand trade ties

DAMASCUS, Syria－Russia and Syria plan to sign an economic pact before the end of the year that is partly aimed at circumventing Western sanctions, Russia's deputy prime minister said on Monday as he led a high-level delegation on a visit to Damascus.

Yuri Borisov said the Russian side is expecting to sign the pact on his next visit in December, adding that it includes more than 40 new projects in the energy sector, reconstruction of a number of power stations and offshore oil extraction.

The agreement, he added, would "outline a new framework for trade and economic ties between the two countries for the coming years "while providing relief from US sanctions, which he said were "strangling" the Syrian people.

Borisov spoke at a joint news conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem in Damascus after the delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is visiting Damascus for the first time since 2012, also attended the news conference.

The Russian visit came as Damascus struggles to redress a war-battered economy, further hindered by Western sanctions including under the US Caesar Act, implemented since mid-June.

Damascus and Moscow have signed several deals in recent years in energy, construction and agriculture.

Close supporter

Moscow has been a close supporter of Damascus in Syria's devastating nine-year civil conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the war-torn country twice, including in January this year.

With the help of Russia, the Syrian government forces have largely succeeded in crushing the armed rebellion. The rebels are confined to the northern Idlib Province, where a truce has been in place for months.

But Syria has been ruined, the economy has spiraled out of control, and the country remains divided. Turkey-backed forces control a sliver of territory along the border, and United States-backed Kurdish forces hold sway in an oil-rich area in the northeast.

"We have to admit that most of the areas rich in oil and gas are outside the control of the Syrian government," Borisov said on Monday. "This fact prevents the Syrian government from trading in oil, given that it is an important source of revenue."

Borisov blamed Washington for the economic deterioration in Syria, which risks reversing the government's recent military gains, calling US policies "unconstructive".

The Syrian Al-Watan newspaper earlier quoted Syria's ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad, as saying that the Russian delegation's visit "is of special importance, given the political and economic files that will be discussed". Those include progress by a committee discussing possible amendments to the Syrian constitution and Western sanctions on Syria, as well as efforts to fight terrorism.

Agencies - Xinhua