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Cairo Rejects Any Demographic Change in Syria

Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)
Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)
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Cairo Rejects Any Demographic Change in Syria

Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)
Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)

Egypt voiced on Thursday its rejection to any “forced demographic change” in Syria, stressing the need for a political solution along with a "decisive" move against terrorist organizations there.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Cairo, expressed his appreciation for his efforts to seek a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

“The political solution shall go hand in hand with a decisive and effective response to armed terrorist organizations, especially in light of transferring the extremist fighters from Syria to other conflict zones in the region,” said Ahmed Hafez, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, quoting Shoukry.

The FM reiterated Egypt's stance that supports "a political settlement to the crisis based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, in a manner that preserves the unity of Syria and the independence of its political decision.”

The UN envoy expressed his appreciation for the balanced Egyptian role in Syria.

Earlier on Thursday, Pedersen held discussions with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit at the organization's headquarters in Cairo, where they also stressed the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement in Syria.

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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Syria's finance minister said on Sunday the government would hike salaries for many public sector employees by 400% next month after completing an administrative restructuring of ministries to boost efficiency and accountability.

The increase, estimated to cost 1.65 trillion Syrian pounds, or about $127 million at current rates, will be financed by existing state resources plus a combination of regional aid, new investments, and efforts to unfreeze Syrian assets held abroad.

"(This is) the first step towards an emergency solution to the economic reality in the country," Mohammed Abazeed, the finance minister in Syria's caretaker government, told Reuters, adding that this month's wages for public sector staff would be paid out this week.

These measures are part of a broader strategy by Syria's new caretaker government to stabilize the country's economy following 13 years of conflict and sanctions.

Salaries of Syria's public sector employees under toppled President Bashar al-Assad's regime were around $25 a month, putting them below the poverty line, along with the majority of the country's population, Abazeed said.

The hike would follow a comprehensive evaluation of up to 1.3 million registered public sector employees to remove fictitious employees from the payroll and would affect those with sufficient expertise, academic qualifications, and the necessary skills for reconstruction.

Syria's state treasury is facing liquidity challenges emerging from a war. The majority of money available in the central bank is Syrian currency, which has lost much of its value. However, the new government was promised assistance from regional and Arab countries, the minister said.

"The launch of investments in the country in the near future will also benefit the state treasury and allow us to finance this salary increase," he said, adding the central bank currently has sufficient funds to finance the next few months.

The government expects to retrieve up to $400 million in frozen Syrian assets abroad, which could co-finance the initial government expenses.

Syria's caretaker government is also discussing exempting taxpayers, as much as possible, from penalties and interest and working on overhauling the tax system within the next three months to achieve tax justice for all taxpayers, with a first draft expected within four months.

"By the end of this year, we expect having a well-designed tax system that takes the interests of all taxpayers into account," he added.