More Companies Shut Down in Syria’s Regime-Run Areas

A general view of Damascus in 2018 (Reuters)
A general view of Damascus in 2018 (Reuters)
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More Companies Shut Down in Syria’s Regime-Run Areas

A general view of Damascus in 2018 (Reuters)
A general view of Damascus in 2018 (Reuters)

Areas controlled by the Syrian regime have witnessed the liquidation of 50 companies in the last three months, reported the government-aligned Al-Watan daily.

This is equivalent to 75% of the total number of companies that have dissolved themselves since the beginning of 2022, which amounted to 79 companies, according to the director of companies at the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection of the regime, Zain Safi.

Al-Watan also said that the owners of the dissolved companies refused to comment to the media about the reasons their businesses were shut down.

Hassan Hazouri, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at Aleppo University, believes that the regime’s policies have transformed the Syrian economy from a productive economy to a service economy.

It did that by encouraging sectors such as tourism and trade, at the expense of real production sectors such as agriculture and industry.

Hazouri further criticized Damascus’ ill-considered policies when it comes to resolving economic problems. These policies have ruined the economic standing of Syria further, which prompted an exodus of local businesses.

Moreover, many business owners in Syria were forced to either permanently or temporarily shut down their operations. Those who didn’t sell or liquidate their business, left their company working at minimum capacity.

Last September, Syrian businessman Ayman Bergenjiki, owner of Indomie Syria, announced that the factories producing the instant noodles have permanently ceased operations in Syria. He then reversed this declaration by indicating that it could potentially resume work.

Last week, local media also reported the closure of about 25% of dairy and cheese production workshops and facilities. The closure came as the dollar exchange rate exceeded the threshold of SYP 5,000.

The rise in the dollar exchange rate in Syria has produced market turmoil and a hike in production costs.



France Says EU Will Lift Some Sanctions Against Syria After Assad’s Fall 

 People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
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France Says EU Will Lift Some Sanctions Against Syria After Assad’s Fall 

 People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
People walk in front of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)

Some European Union sanctions against Syria are being lifted, France's foreign minister said on Monday, as part of a broader EU move to help stabilize Damascus after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

EU foreign ministers were discussing the matter at a meeting in Brussels on Monday with the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas having told Reuters that she was hopeful an agreement on easing the sanctions could be reached.

"Regarding Syria, we are going to decide today to lift, to suspend, certain sanctions that had applied to the energy and transport sectors and to financial institutions that were key to the financial stabilization of the country," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on arrival at the EU meeting in Brussels.

He added that France would also propose slapping sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for the detention of French citizens in Iran.

"I will announce today that we will propose that those responsible for these arbitrary detentions may be sanctioned by the European Union in the coming months," he said.

Assad, whose family had ruled Syria with an iron first for 54 years, was toppled by opposition forces on Dec. 8, bringing an abrupt end to a devastating 13-year civil war that had created one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times.

The conflict left large parts of many major cities in ruins, services decrepit and the vast majority of the population living in poverty. The harsh Western sanctions regime has effectively cut off its formal economy from the rest of the world.