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Conflict in Syria

Syria may see economic upturn, Russian expert says

Vitaly Naumkin is certain that Syria will be able to eliminate to some extent the failures that stemmed from the fact the previous regime was unable to use the resources, because the Americans would not let it

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Given the great resources at its disposal, Syria may see an economic upturn, Vitaly Naumkin, the academic director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, has said.

"The way I see it, Syria may see an economic upturn. The representatives of Syria's interim government are already doing a great deal. They are issuing some decrees and making decisions. They have tangible resources at their disposal," Naumkin said during the presentation of the Ye. M. Primakov Center for Foreign Policy Cooperation’s report, titled The Mission of Russia's Cultural and Scientific Diplomacy in the Middle East, hosted at TASS.

"Take the Trans-Euphrates territories, the main asset that has been contested all along, and where the Americans are now trying to use the Kurds very actively in terms of their diplomacy. There is wheat, grain, and food-related resources, there is oil, and there are other resources and raw materials for the industry," Naumkin added.

He is certain that Syria will be able to eliminate to some extent the failures that stemmed from the fact the previous regime was unable to use the resources, because the Americans would not let it.

On November 27, armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces in Aleppo and Idlib governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, prompting Syrian army units to withdraw from the city. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who since January 2024 led the so-called Salvation Government in Idlib province, announced his appointment as interim prime minister. The transitional period will last until March 1, 2025.

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Foreign policy Syrian conflict

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