Damascus, SANA – Prime Minister Imad Khamis said that the Syrian economy is in a good condition, adding that indicators of next year’s general budget and the 2017 achievements stress this fact.

Khamis, speaking to journalists after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said the government is committed to setting up plans to rehabilitate and serve areas liberated by the Syrian army, in addition to establishing development and investment projects in those areas.

He noted that the continued field governmental visits aim at inspecting the situation in all Syrian provinces in order to develop project budget and allocate appropriate resources to carry out services and productive projects which will positively affect the development process in the said areas.

Premier Khamis stated the establishment of industrial areas and the new investment projects, despite the terrorist war waged on Syria, set a clear evidence on the strength of the state, adding that this year witnessed the launching of projects worth over SYP 186 billion, of which SYP 100 billion allocated for projects supervised by the Military Construction Establishment and Ministry of Public Works and Housing.

He expressed optimism over executing developmental projects as scheduled, taking into account the speed of project implementation which the governmental delegation found during its recent visit to the provinces of Hama, Lattakia and Tartous.

Khamis noted that an amount of SYP 23 billion has been allocated for Aleppo province in order to rehabilitate services and production infrastructures, remove debris and repair electricity and water networks there.

He hailed the significant progress made in resuming production at Sheikh Najjar and al-Layramoun industrial areas after the return of electricity, indicating to the government’s future economic vision to set up new legislations that suit the situation in every area.

The strategic work plan to rebuild Syria consists of several phases that will be implemented according a definite timeline. The first phase or the quick stage provides for that every ministry, in line with its capacity, should set up a quick plan to rehabilitate areas liberated from terrorism.

On the short-term plan, Khamis said that it is the largest one on the reconstruction committee’s agenda, noting that current efforts focus on rehabilitating terror-affected factories and facilities.

He stated that SYP 50 billion have been allocated for infrastructure reconstruction works in 2017, indicating that there are more than 800 factories which are reconstructed or under reconstruction,

Khamis said that the 3rd phase in the government’s plan relies on two main projects: the national project for administrative reform launched by President Bashar al-Assad and Syria in post-crisis.

He pointed out to the government’s plans to establish residential suburbs and service facilities in different rural areas in order to reduce the arbitrary housing areas and preserve agricultural lands.

The premier unveiled that two industrial areas will be established in al-Haffeh area in Lattakia province and Safita in Tartous province.

He underlined the government’s efforts to help displaced people who were forced to leave their houses return to their villages and towns through rehabilitating infrastructure and providing necessary services.

Khamis said that an amount of SYP 6 billion has been allocated for services establishments in liberated areas, while SYP 13 billion has been allocated to rehabilitate eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo and villages of the western countryside of Raqqa including rehabilitation of water pumping plants, police stations, schools and other governmental buildings.

R.Raslan/Mazen