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.



China Retaliates to EU Ban with Import Restrictions on Medical Devices

People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
TT
20

China Retaliates to EU Ban with Import Restrictions on Medical Devices

People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)

China's finance ministry said on Sunday it was restricting government purchases of medical devices from the European Union that exceed 45 million yuan ($6.3 million) in value, in retaliation to Brussels' own curbs last month.

Tensions between Beijing and Brussels have been rising, with the European Union imposing tariffs on China-built electric vehicles and Beijing slapping duties on imported brandy from the bloc.

The European Union said last month it was barring Chinese companies from participating in EU public tenders for medical devices worth 60 billion euros ($70 billion) or more per year after concluding that EU firms were not given fair access in China.

The measure announced by the European Commission was the first under the EU's International Procurement Instrument, which entered into force in 2022 and is designed to ensure reciprocal market access.

China's countermeasures were expected after its commerce ministry flagged "necessary steps" against the EU move late last month.

"Regrettably, despite China's goodwill and sincerity, the EU has insisted on going its own way, taking restrictive measures and building new protectionist barriers," Reuters quoted the commerce ministry as saying in a separate statement on Sunday.

"Therefore, China has no choice but to adopt reciprocal restrictive measures."
The EU delegation office in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China will also restrict imports of medical devices from other countries that contain EU-made components worth more than 50% of the contract value, the finance ministry said. The measures come into force on Sunday.

The commerce ministry said products from European companies in China were not affected.

The world's second- and third-largest economies are due to hold a leaders' summit in China later in July.