Damascus Allows Establishment of Two Oil Refineries

A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
TT
20

Damascus Allows Establishment of Two Oil Refineries

A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The Syrian Parliament has approved two bills to establish two private companies operating in the field of oil refineries.

A company affiliated with “Katerji Group,” which is owned by a businessman on a Western sanctions list, will be part of these companies.

According to sources in Damascus, the parliament has approved an agreement to establish two companies, the “Coast Refinery” and the “Rusafa Refinery”.

Approval was granted after the parliament had reviewed a report by the committee specialized in studying the partners’ agreement to establish a joint-stock company under the Coast Refinery Company.

The company is aimed at establishing, operating and managing an oil condensate refinery.

The agreement was signed between the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the General Organization for Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products (GORDPP) as the first party, and Arvada and the Lebanese Sallizar Shipping SAL as the second party, Russia Today (RT) news website reported.

The parliament also approved the bill that includes ratifying a contract signed on September 19, 2019 between the Ministry of Petroleum and the contractor, represented by “Arvada” and “Sallizar Shipping SAL.”

The contract aims to develop and expand the Tartous oil terminal, establish a new oil transportation system, and rehabilitate and maintain the existing oil transportation system in accordance with the provisions of the contract and its appendices.

Head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad has earlier referred these two bills along with the contract to the country’s parliament.

It is noteworthy that there are two government oil refineries in Syria. One in the coastal city of Baniyas and the other in the central city of Homs.



Egypt’s Net Foreign Assets Jump in March after IMF Review Approval

 Visitors look out towards the Giza pyramid complex as they tour the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo on May 5, 2025. (AFP)
Visitors look out towards the Giza pyramid complex as they tour the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo on May 5, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Egypt’s Net Foreign Assets Jump in March after IMF Review Approval

 Visitors look out towards the Giza pyramid complex as they tour the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo on May 5, 2025. (AFP)
Visitors look out towards the Giza pyramid complex as they tour the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo on May 5, 2025. (AFP)

Egypt's net foreign assets jumped by $4.9 billion in March, central bank data showed, apparently boosted by the approval of the fourth review of the country's IMF program.

Net foreign assets climbed to the equivalent of $15.08 billion from $10.18 billion at the end of February, according to Reuters calculations based on official central bank currency exchange rates.

The International Monetary Fund in early March approved the disbursement to Egypt of $1.2 billion after completing its review of the country's $8 billion economic reform program. It also approved a request for a $1.3 billion arrangement under the IMF's resilience and sustainability facility.

Foreign investors were significant purchasers of Egyptian pound treasury bills after the approval and as one-year bills acquired after the March 2024 IMF agreement matured, two bankers said.

Egypt had been using foreign assets, which include assets held by both the central bank and commercial banks, to help prop up its currency since as long ago as September 2021. Net foreign assets turned negative in February 2022 and only returned to positive territory in May last year.

Foreign assets increased in February at both the central bank and commercial banks, while foreign liabilities rose at the central bank but declined at commercial banks.