SYRIANNEWS — broadcast
20260920 103000 UTC
535 transcript segments
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[00:00:00] whose condition is somewhat acceptable, and we have some in Adra and the remaining warehouses in
[00:00:03] the Aleppo countryside, in Khan Touman,
[00:00:08] Honestly, this we currently have many also in Khan al-Assal in al-Ramouseh, all of them are dilapidated, and the people of Aleppo know this
[00:00:10] well. The warehouses in Idlib, which were in Kafr Battikh,
[00:00:15] of oil and gas in are all completely destroyed and cannot be used.
[00:00:18] Many tanks and warehouses need to be rebuilt and
[00:00:21] a set of questions from rehabilitated. We started rehabilitating a part of them, but
[00:00:25] the investment budgets, as we said, cannot cover everything. Today we have
[00:00:30] plan and priority is to increase Syria's priorities. In terms of priorities, the Ministry of Finance tells us to stop revenues to the treasury for a period of
[00:00:34] one year, and we will redo everything. But if
[00:00:37] the Ministry of Finance is demanding that we raise
[00:00:40] salaries and wages, and we have investment projects, and you are a very large part of these
[00:00:44] matters as a
[00:00:47] In fact, today's session oil company, they won't give us a single day's patience.
[00:00:49] Regarding financial transfers, as we mentioned, we used to give them
[00:00:51] gas, we need a long 250 million dollars every month after
[00:00:54] might reach half we had oil, 250 million dollars. All of this
[00:00:58] contributed to increasing salaries.
[00:01:00] If they would just leave us with them for, not a year, but four or five months, a billion
[00:01:03] dollars, we could create a reserve and storage and tanks and supply lines, it would be
[00:01:07] such as government companies and other fine. But unfortunately, the state also has its priorities, and spending is not
[00:01:12] the minister answered some points my responsibility. I submit a plan. For example, some brothers mentioned
[00:01:15] needs. And he summarized all this some investment projects for water stations that Mr. Al-Rassafi mentioned,
[00:01:19] and others. We are submitting these stations. For example, in the
[00:01:22] investment budget, we are submitting five sewage treatment plants in each
[00:01:26] governorate for the sewage that is going into the rivers and the sea.
[00:01:30] The sewage from Latakia and Tartous is going into the sea, and in Deir ez-Zor it is going into
[00:01:33] the Euphrates, and in Idlib it is going into the Orontes, and in Hama it is going into the Orontes.
[00:01:36] So we initially submitted five stations. We need your support
[00:01:39] tomorrow in approving the budgets. Brother, let's make this a priority. This is
[00:01:43] And this does not a priority. If they don't approve the budget for five
[00:01:46] sewage treatment plants, we will have to
[00:01:49] postpone this problem to
[00:01:52] to enrich the discussion with next year. So we submitted in each governorate a minimum of five sewage treatment
[00:01:55] plants. Also, oil and gas protection lines and continuity
[00:01:59] of supply. We have had 22 attacks on oil lines, and honestly, we
[00:02:02] also ask you, God willing, tomorrow, once the projects are submitted to you,
[00:02:07] because it has proven its failure in many and we have submitted projects. This is one of the questions that we will answer now.
[00:02:10] We submitted a draft water legislation law to the General Secretariat recently,
[00:02:13] and we have included, honestly, somewhat
[00:02:16] the esteemed representative mentioned, thank you for deterrent penalties. We will bring this refinery, God willing, and install it in If someone drills a well, the next day
[00:02:20] we confiscate the drilling rig, especially in Daraa, where the situation is very
[00:02:24] difficult in terms of water. It is very difficult. We are making great efforts to prevent
[00:02:27] violations and encroachments and to secure
[00:02:32] members, and they were following drinking water, and encroachments on drinking water are very easy and simple for them
[00:02:34] because the offender goes and pays a few liras and leaves,
[00:02:38] or the same thing applies to electricity. Our electricity line from Deir Ali power station to
[00:02:42] Adra
[00:02:44] or requests for further cost us about 4 million Syrian pounds.
[00:02:47] In two days, just on the holiday, Thursday,
[00:02:51] they cut the electricity and stole it. The Ministry of Interior investigated them later,
[00:02:54] caught them, and so on, but there are no
[00:02:56] by 1.2 million cars in deterrent penalties. We also need deterrent legislation for penalties.
[00:03:01] It cost us and cut off electricity to a large part of the region, and it cost us, and he probably
[00:03:05] sold it for 200, 300,000, this aluminum
[00:03:08] oil derivatives, or the pressure on he took. If he had come to us, we would have given it to him, but he shouldn't ruin people's lives for two or three
[00:03:11] months. It's a crime. He has a smelting factory where he makes ingots and so on.
[00:03:15] The internal security forces, thank them, raided him and arrested him,
[00:03:19] and then they are referred to the judiciary, fined, and so on. They themselves return after
[00:03:21] oil derivatives, as we mentioned, for a while, they return and do this again. This requires deterrent penalties
[00:03:25] and expanding participation with from legislation. We need legislation from the
[00:03:28] People's Assembly to be deterrent for all these violations on
[00:03:32] electricity, water, and oil. Environmental
[00:03:35] safety. We also have the treatment of the effects of the war by stopping primitive
[00:03:38] burners, which was a very big problem. We talked about the cancers that
[00:03:42] spread in the region. The region had a black cloud from
[00:03:46] involving private companies in these burners. These burners are a primitive and economically
[00:03:54] Although many a stock exchange price. This unfeasible operation. They don't produce gasoline; they only produce diesel with poor specifications. All these factors led to oil theft, because when there are burners, people go and steal oil
[00:03:57] to take it. But when the matter is only with the refineries, if crude oil is stolen, what
[00:04:03] Syria. This will they do with it? They stop stealing. In addition to our work, we conducted a radiological
[00:04:07] the session." But time, in fact, survey and monitoring in cooperation with the talk, perhaps some Atomic Energy Commission, and we removed mines around
[00:04:10] for an hour and a half the main sites in cooperation with the concerned authorities. We signed
[00:04:13] many memorandums of understanding for
[00:04:16] a response? Did you feel a response with gas and oil exploration in the sea. We signed with major companies. Some say that we
[00:04:20] can go towards tenders, which is one of the most important
[00:04:24] ways to contract. However, there are some matters
[00:04:29] Sorry, did he give us any that we call political orientation of the state in concluding some contracts.
[00:04:32] For example, today, contracting with Chevron
[00:04:34] (an American company),
[00:04:37] 31 Syrian pounds is for this Chevron has its history, or Eni (the Italian company), or
[00:04:39] ConocoPhillips. Some
[00:04:43] This is companies have their weight in the global market in oil and gas.
[00:04:45] based on the latest prices in One of the Arab energy ministers told me, "If
[00:04:48] Chevron and Conoco come to you, you will open the doors to all
[00:04:51] in the street improves, companies." Honestly, he mentioned that there are major
[00:04:54] global leading companies in
[00:04:57] oil and gas that are valuable
[00:05:00] in their entry into the Syrian market, provided that the contracts are fair
[00:05:03] between us and them, and not unfair, nor
[00:05:07] The Minister of Energy spoke on a number of also, as you see. We have made a memorandum of understanding, and we are
[00:05:11] in the process of converting it into a contract, and negotiations are
[00:05:14] at their peak with Conoco regarding percentages and so on. Therefore,
[00:05:19] companies that were there. For example, in some cases,
[00:05:22] it is necessary, and it obliges and forces the ministry
[00:05:26] to enter into direct negotiations, for
[00:05:29] example, for oil derivatives, which we just
[00:05:33] mentioned. If today I can't even find it in the market, then if a
[00:05:37] company comes and says, "I have an oil product at such and such a price, lower than the global market," I might
[00:05:40] go for a direct contract to secure this material. We don't leave people without
[00:05:44] diesel and gasoline just to hold a tender that takes several days.
[00:05:48] And the principle is, after stability and
[00:05:51] sustainability in the sector and the end of the crisis, we return to where we started
[00:05:55] with tenders. I don't know if anyone is aware, but when
[00:05:59] the ministry was first established, all crude oil purchases were done through tenders, but there was no crisis. Today,
[00:06:02] the matter is different. Companies are submitting price offers, and this
[00:06:06] is one of the contracting methods that the contracts law
[00:06:09] has regulated for us. It has allowed us to use
[00:06:13] price offers, to obtain price offers. It has also allowed us to use direct contracts in some
[00:06:17] exceptional cases, exceptional
[00:06:21] circumstances. Okay, partnerships and investment in
[00:06:24] areas. We mentioned that we have partnerships with ConocoPhillips, we have partnerships with
[00:06:28] Chevron, we also have with Total (the French Total), which is one of the giant
[00:06:31] and large companies in the energy sector, and we also have a partnership
[00:06:35] with Qatar Energy regarding
[00:06:38] gas exploration. We have some partnerships with regional
[00:06:41] companies like Adnoc, Kuwait Drilling Company, and UC,
[00:06:45] which entered the generation sector, which we will mention
[00:06:48] later. So, New Syria, transitioning from a socialist
[00:06:52] economic system to a free economic system.
[00:06:55] mean that I chose this path. The state's
[00:06:59] leadership, the state presidency, the
[00:07:02] Syrian government chose to
[00:07:05] transition from the socialist economic system to
[00:07:08] the market economy and free economy. And this I think
[00:07:12] most of those present agree that this is a necessary and very
[00:07:16] important step to build the economy of New Syria
[00:07:19] countries. And this stage, I say this stage that we are
[00:07:23] going through today, with some high prices and some lifting of subsidies on
[00:07:27] some services or reducing subsidies, not lifting but reducing subsidies on some services,
[00:07:30] this is a normal situation. If we read a little about the history
[00:07:34] of countries that transitioned from this system to this system, if we went to
[00:07:37] Poland, to the Czech Republic, to Georgia, to Estonia, they went through this
[00:07:40] stage in 1980. 93, they went through this stage, which is
[00:07:44] the transition from the socialist system. There was poverty, even though
[00:07:48] there was a decrease in the income rate. Our income rate increased
[00:07:51] by 550% in salary increases,
[00:07:55] not to mention the qualitative increases that occurred for health, higher education,
[00:07:58] education, inspection, justice, judiciary,
[00:08:02] and so on. These increases are actually not something we are behind, but
[00:08:06] we are an important part of them. The increases in wages and investment projects that
[00:08:09] are being implemented by the Syrian Petroleum Company are an important part of the state's
[00:08:13] revenues. 250 million, as we said,
[00:08:16] monthly is a source for the treasury that contributed to these
[00:08:20] increases and these measures and the existing investment projects.
[00:08:24] Regarding the price setting committee, we were also asked about it.
[00:08:28] Mr. President, we are not only answering questions in the presentation,
[00:08:31] but also generally the questions that the esteemed
[00:08:35] members of parliament may have raised. A decision was made to form a committee
[00:08:39] to set prices. This decision includes all concerned parties. We have
[00:08:42] the Ministry of Economy, we have the Central Bank, we have the Ministry
[00:08:46] of Finance, we have Geology, we have the Energy Services Administration,
[00:08:49] we have the Syrian Petroleum Company. This is for them to set a pricing
[00:08:53] policy and submit it to us, and God willing, we will provide you with it. The mechanism
[00:08:56] for pricing oil derivatives. How is the pricing equation that
[00:08:59] one of the fellow MPs asked about? First, we have
[00:09:04] price is known. We have platforms for the prices
[00:09:07] of oil derivatives and crude oil. Then comes the import premium
[00:09:11] and the price of the material
[00:09:14] and customs duties and profit margins
[00:09:18] and transportation costs and storage costs and administrative expenses and renewable energy fees
[00:09:22] and car registration fees. All these are fees on it.
[00:09:25] Then there are profit margins. Originally, these were profit margins, but now they are all
[00:09:29] loss margins because today one liter of diesel at global prices
[00:09:32] is 1570 dollars. The last deal we bought, one liter of diesel
[00:09:35] cost us 206 Syrian pounds. One liter of diesel
[00:09:39] costs the ministry 260. The company sells
[00:09:42] it for 175, as we determined. So, it's a loss of 31 Syrian
[00:09:46] pounds per liter after the price increase. This
[00:09:49] diesel after the price increase. Its cost
[00:09:53] is 206 Syrian pounds.
[00:09:57] the market. After equating these prices, there are no profits here. I'm saying it costs us
[00:10:01] 206.
[00:10:04] This is the stock exchange price of 1590.
[00:10:08] Of course, we bought the last one at 1570. Now it's 1590. Go back
[00:10:12] to the platforms. We can provide you with the indicators of global markets.
[00:10:15] Fees and wages: 250. Final cost: 1840.
[00:10:19] One ton of diesel is 1200 liters. If we divide
[00:10:22] 1840 by 1200, it comes out to
[00:10:25] 1.53 dollars per liter. If we
[00:10:29] multiply that by the exchange rate of 135 today,
[00:10:32] it comes out to 206 Syrian pounds, which is what we estimated
[00:10:36] at 100 and 175.
[00:10:38] The difference is 31, not 29. It's written as 29.
[00:10:41] 31 Syrian pounds difference
[00:10:44] in price
[00:10:47] between imported
[00:10:50] diesel and our pricing of it in the market. The strategic
[00:10:55] oil production, and the optimal solution is to increase Syria's production. We have a plan
[00:10:59] to increase production, God willing, we will provide you with it, God willing. We will provide
[00:11:03] the esteemed council with the production plan. Of course,
[00:11:05] if things go as we plan, and we don't have any emergencies, God
[00:11:09] willing, within the year 2028, we will achieve self-sufficiency in oil,
[00:11:12] okay? In 2028, but for
[00:11:16] time. For gas, we
[00:11:19] of our needs by the end of 2030, but with
[00:11:23] the development of offshore production. Of course,
[00:11:25] the sea needs seven years. So when we talk about gas exploration in the sea,
[00:11:29] some people might say, "Okay, we signed with Chevron,
[00:11:33] and with Total, and with Qatar Energy, and with Eni, and with..."
[00:11:36] and so on. "So where is the gas production?" It needs seven years
[00:11:40] for the gas to enter the energy sector. This is a very
[00:11:44] complex issue. Even at the level of turbines, electricity is reserved in factories.
[00:11:48] We'll talk about electricity later. It's reserved in Siemens and Ansaldo factories. There are four
[00:11:51] limited companies that manufacture turbines, and those who are
[00:11:55] familiar with the energy sector know Siemens, Ansaldo, GE, and Mitsubishi. These
[00:11:58] manufacture turbines. The purchase of turbines is reserved until
[00:12:02] 2033, 2034, and 2035. No,
[00:12:05] thankfully, through our partnership with UC, we will have them ready by
[00:12:08] 2029. They will be coming because they were pre-purchased from the companies.
[00:12:11] So we went into a contract with them to build power plants. Refinery
[00:12:14] development. We were asked about the refineries. God willing, yesterday,
[00:12:18] Friday, we had a team outside
[00:12:21] Syria. A refinery was offered to us for purchase. This
[00:12:25] is manufactured so that it doesn't take us five years to manufacture.
[00:12:28] It might take months to install a refinery
[00:12:31] with a capacity of about
[00:12:34] 3,000 to 50,000, and it can be developed.
[00:12:37] the eastern region in Deir ez-Zor, as
[00:12:41] the observation, that we put a refinery in the same region instead of transporting
[00:12:45] oil here, then refining it and transporting derivatives back. No, in the same region, it employs
[00:12:48] labor, it refines oil derivatives, and we distribute them to the
[00:12:52] local residents there. We will build a refinery in Homs, in Al-Furqalus. A refinery in Deir
[00:12:56] ez-Zor, and we are looking for a location in Aleppo because it needs
[00:12:59] oil, a pipeline reaching it, it needs nearby water,
[00:13:02] and so on. We are looking for a specific area where we can distribute four
[00:13:06] or five refineries, each with a capacity of about 5,000 barrels,
[00:13:09] meaning to cover the market demand along with the Baniyas refinery
[00:13:13] we have. Also, expanding exploration. We have promising blocks
[00:13:17] for crude oil and gas, God willing, we will work
[00:13:20] on, or have started working on, exploring them.
[00:13:23] Companies. Some companies and contracts are old.
[00:13:27] Companies invoked force majeure during the revolution in
[00:13:30] 2012. Now, force majeure was declared. Today,
[00:13:33] some have started, like Gulfsands, which returned to the block it had. We contacted the companies,
[00:13:37] some of them withdrew, and some want to continue in the block
[00:13:41] they were in. Also, rehabilitating the transportation and storage system. Transporting
[00:13:46] heavy oil and the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline,
[00:13:50] the private sector by involving companies in
[00:13:53] the distribution process. And the storage process. We
[00:13:57] discussed this a lot within the company and the ministry. This
[00:14:00] needs, if some have studies or
[00:14:04] consultations, we will also accept them from them. This is indeed a very
[00:14:07] sensitive step in this reality for
[00:14:11] distribution specifically, whether in electricity or oil. But
[00:14:15] God willing, we are studying it. We will not move forward until we reach
[00:14:18] a good final formula for the citizen and the company.
[00:14:22] Attracting new investments and new technology through major global
[00:14:26] companies. This
[00:14:29] is regarding the oil and gas sector and oil derivatives.
[00:14:32] We tried to clarify all the inquiries raised by the esteemed
[00:14:36] members of parliament. God willing, we may have overlooked some points. We will take the questions again, as mentioned
[00:14:39] by the President, so that we can answer them and
[00:14:43] provide you with written answers, God willing. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr.
[00:14:46] Minister. Let's take a break. The session
[00:14:49] is until 2:30 sharp, and Mr.
[00:14:52] Minister will continue with electricity and water. Of course,
[00:14:55] regarding the time we gave to Mr. Minister, some members, Mr.
[00:14:59] Minister, received 40 questions from the Energy Committee, so he needs
[00:15:03] time. The session is adjourned until 2:30.
[00:15:06] So, dear
[00:15:12] viewers, this was the
[00:15:15] session, or the first part of the
[00:15:18] hearing held by the Syrian People's Assembly for the Minister
[00:15:22] of Energy, Mohammed. Many
[00:15:25] concerns regarding the increase in energy derivative prices
[00:15:28] were discussed.
[00:15:32] points after receiving a large number of questions from
[00:15:36] a number of deputies. The questions varied
[00:15:39] between production costs,
[00:15:41] between questions related to the Syrian Petroleum Company, and questions related
[00:15:45] to production operations and the current
[00:15:48] energy production situation
[00:15:52] Syrian wells. What are the future plans?
[00:15:56] There were also
[00:15:59] the deputies that addressed the transparency
[00:16:03] in the work of the Ministry of Energy. The Minister certainly
[00:16:06] spoke about production, numbers, and market needs,
[00:16:10] as well as measures and the price-setting
[00:16:13] committee. Perhaps the most prominent thing that
[00:16:17] the Minister spoke about was that
[00:16:20] a liter of diesel currently costs the state
[00:16:23] 206 Syrian pounds, while it
[00:16:26] is sold in the market for 175 pounds,
[00:16:29] incurring a loss of 11
[00:16:32] to 30 pounds. A large number of points
[00:16:36] were addressed by the Minister, who indicated
[00:16:40] that the Ministry of Energy is one of the most important files
[00:16:43] due to its direct connection with people's daily needs, as it includes
[00:16:47] three ministries: Electricity, Water, and Oil
[00:16:50] and Mineral Resources. He spoke about the
[00:16:53] challenges facing the energy sector,
[00:16:56] and that they cannot be underestimated, but at the same
[00:17:00] time, he said that he knows what
[00:17:03] the available capabilities are, and that the ministry's
[00:17:07] vision is based on supporting economic development and
[00:17:11] enhancing the quality of services and reducing the gap between
[00:17:15] supply and demand, and that
[00:17:18] the establishment of holding companies does not mean
[00:17:21] moving towards privatization of the energy
[00:17:24] sector, but rather these are state-owned companies,
[00:17:28] and by that, he means the Syrian Petroleum Company, and also
[00:17:31] the Syrian Minerals Company, and the companies affiliated
[00:17:35] with the Ministry of Energy, which are state-owned companies
[00:17:38] and not private companies. Certainly,
[00:17:42] he also spoke about the fact that about
[00:17:45] 1,000 dismissed employees have returned to work at the Ministry of Energy after
[00:17:48] submitting return
[00:17:52] requests. These employees were dismissed, of course, during the
[00:17:55] Syrian revolution, dismissed due to
[00:17:59] their affiliation with the Syrian Revolution. 1,000 employees have returned
[00:18:02] to their jobs. He also stated that the ministry
[00:18:06] is working to transition from paper-based work to an integrated
[00:18:09] digital system with the aim of automating transactions and linking
[00:18:13] entities and databases within the ministry. This is also an important
[00:18:16] step in the work of the Ministry of Energy.
[00:18:20] He also
[00:18:22] pointed out an important point, which is the establishment of a committee to study the reality of reserves
[00:18:26] and inventories and to prepare a new map for oil and gas in
[00:18:29] Syria, and that the available information and figures currently
[00:18:33] are old and
[00:18:37] outdated regarding
[00:18:40] energy reserves. He also
[00:18:43] mentioned that the Minister of Energy stated that many oil
[00:18:46] wells are temporarily closed to rehabilitate them and restart them,
[00:18:50] ensuring the safety of citizens. Well, dear viewers,
[00:18:53] I now welcome Dr. Mosaab Al-Shabib, an expert
[00:18:56] in the field of energy, with us from Aleppo.
[00:18:59] Welcome, Dr. Doctor,
[00:19:03] you certainly listened to this session
[00:19:06] and watched it. If we want to talk,
[00:19:09] first, what was the most striking thing
[00:19:12] that caught your attention in this session, Dr.
[00:19:15] Mosaab? Greetings, Professor Ahmed, to you
[00:19:19] and all the esteemed viewers. Firstly, this was a frank
[00:19:22] and transparent session in every sense of the word.
[00:19:25] I was writing down the most important points that His Excellency the Minister of Energy
[00:19:29] was discussing. Indeed, there was a great
[00:19:32] momentum, even going into the most precise details. In the general
[00:19:36] context, honestly,
[00:19:39] the session was frank and clear,
[00:19:42] even starting with the history of the ministry's establishment and gradually
[00:19:46] progressing to everything it means. It began by discussing
[00:19:50] the issue of governance, and this is the basic legal
[00:19:53] framework that redefines the Ministry
[00:19:56] of Energy when several institutions or three
[00:20:00] basic companies were merged: the Syrian Petroleum Company,
[00:20:03] the Syrian Electricity Company, and the Syrian Water Company.
[00:20:08] He also focused on the idea that Syria
[00:20:11] should be, in the future, with all the agreements, a
[00:20:15] regional center for energy. This
[00:20:18] also caught my attention, that the ministry is working to
[00:20:22] ensure that there are economic and
[00:20:24] energy interconnections. Also,
[00:20:28] the issue of the General Authority for Water Resources and its work,
[00:20:31] and also that there should be a real digital transformation. Indeed,
[00:20:35] what distinguished this session, Professor Ahmed,
[00:20:37] were the numbers. It was not general talk, it was not rhetorical
[00:20:41] talk. Indeed, there were clear and
[00:20:45] specific numbers, percentages.
[00:20:48] What is the reserve? How much is produced? How much is
[00:20:52] converted or needed
[00:20:55] from derivatives? What are the amounts needed by the
[00:20:58] Ministry of Energy? Indeed, it was,
[00:21:01] I call it, a session under the microscope.
[00:21:04] Indeed, it was very clear to the
[00:21:08] extent that the Speaker of the People's Assembly, due to the abundance of information, requested
[00:21:12] a break so that all
[00:21:14] points could be fully
[00:21:17] addressed. I personally followed the questions,
[00:21:21] even from the esteemed members. I don't think
[00:21:24] there was a single question that was posed to His Excellency the Minister of Energy
[00:21:28] without being answered clearly
[00:21:31] and explicitly. The concerns were
[00:21:35] the main issue, I mean, securing foreign currency, converting it to the
[00:21:39] Central Bank, then selling it in Syrian pounds, and the need for foreign
[00:21:42] currency again. I believe that these details,
[00:21:46] which perhaps some citizens, or many citizens,
[00:21:50] are concerned with, but they actually indicate the
[00:21:54] extent of the suffering and the great effort exerted by the Ministry
[00:21:57] of Energy, and the goal of that is
[00:22:01] to secure these derivatives and supply the market with these
[00:22:05] by saying that one liter of diesel costs
[00:22:09] the state an additional 31 new Syrian
[00:22:13] pounds above the pricing. He also
[00:22:16] spoke of a roadmap, Mr. Ahmed, meaning he
[00:22:20] didn't just talk about problems, concerns, and challenges,
[00:22:24] but there was also a forecast for the future.
[00:22:27] What are the plans in place? What is the ministry's
[00:22:30] plan to boost production? How
[00:22:33] will
[00:22:36] production be increased? Also, the issue of legislation
[00:22:39] caught my attention. Indeed, the field is
[00:22:42] very difficult. He spoke about the issue of mines as well,
[00:22:46] meaning some might think that the entire region
[00:22:50] is clear, but if there is a danger, even one mine,
[00:22:54] in a certain area, it could completely cut off the line
[00:22:57] or put it out of service. Indeed, all these
[00:23:01] details, I believe,
[00:23:04] honestly, were characterized by transparency
[00:23:07] and clarity, and by
[00:23:11] genuine governance, even in the
[00:23:14] way the presentation was delivered. I also noted
[00:23:17] that the presentation was available to all
[00:23:22] along with what the Minister of Energy was saying. The entire presentation
[00:23:26] was available to all members, and this provides feedback, meaning
[00:23:29] we expect that there will likely be questions
[00:23:34] clarification. The issue of cars, Professor Ahmed,
[00:23:37] he also mentioned that in 2025, we will have
[00:23:40] 2.5 million cars. In one year, the number increased
[00:23:46] 2026. Imagine the
[00:23:51] pressure, whether on increasing
[00:23:54] reserves and securing
[00:23:58] infrastructure. The issue of transit
[00:24:01] and roads. It's not just a problem of
[00:24:04] securing derivatives. This morning, indeed, there was
[00:24:08] a targeting of one of the large
[00:24:11] refineries in Moscow. The Minister of Energy said this, that
[00:24:15] indeed, the problem is not just that you secure
[00:24:19] appropriate supplies and secure contracts, even if they are
[00:24:23] direct contracts, but the problem is also
[00:24:26] that the main refineries, and especially since a significant
[00:24:29] portion of Syrian oil is imported from Russia under previously
[00:24:33] existing contracts. So this matter, that Russia itself
[00:24:37] is suffering from a problem. But
[00:24:39] in the end, I read, honestly, after all this talk
[00:24:43] and all this momentum, that there is clear
[00:24:46] optimism based on economic indicators
[00:24:50] and energy in
[00:24:54] people are not convinced by it, but there are facts and there are
[00:24:58] Doctor, Doctor, I will return to you to talk about
[00:25:02] the point of optimism and the current reality and how
[00:25:05] this point can be understood. But allow me to move
[00:25:08] to our correspondent, Jameel Al-Qassem, from in front of
[00:25:12] the People's Assembly. Welcome to you,
[00:25:14] Jameel. What were the most prominent
[00:25:18] points in the Minister of Energy's speech today in the
[00:25:22] People's Assembly? And also, perhaps,
[00:25:24] the most prominent questions that were asked and answered by the Minister?
[00:25:28] الوزير
[00:25:31] Yes, welcome. Allow me, first, to
[00:25:35] talk about the session in general.
[00:25:38] Honestly, this session to hear from the Minister of Energy,
[00:25:42] Mr. Mohammed Al-Bashir, today was
[00:25:45] a frank and open
[00:25:48] session. This is the second session in
[00:25:52] the life of this council, and also the postponed session
[00:25:56] from last Thursday at the Minister's request
[00:26:00] to complete files.
[00:26:03] Also, the ministry preempted the session
[00:26:06] today by announcing the presentation of new alternatives.
[00:26:11] scene is an unusual
[00:26:15] scene of frankness and openness.
[00:26:18] Hearings with the Minister are not
[00:26:22] just a deputy asking and a minister answering, but
[00:26:26] rather they are, in general, it is a revelation and a confession
[00:26:29] it enriches the discussion through which the minister
[00:26:33] and the leaders of the ministry can benefit, learn,
[00:26:36] and correct any decisions. Also,
[00:26:39] through it, they can listen to the pulse of the street
[00:26:43] and know the trends of the street in general
[00:26:46] regarding this or that issue.
[00:26:49] was also heated. There were dozens
[00:26:53] of questions from the deputies that also branched
[00:26:56] from contracts to the prices of derivatives
[00:27:00] to the general and even
[00:27:04] reached alternative energy. The minister was asked
[00:27:07] about everything related to the ministry and everything related
[00:27:10] to its affiliated institutions. Also,
[00:27:15] in detail, but the session was adjourned a little while ago
[00:27:18] for a break and the rest of the points were not completed. He spoke about
[00:27:22] the employment or the employment of the ministry
[00:27:25] of thousands of contracts, re-employment of thousands
[00:27:28] of contracts and re-employment of thousands of dismissed employees. He spoke
[00:27:33] about the ministry's absorptive capacity, about the reasons that prompted
[00:27:37] the ministry
[00:27:40] to raise prices, which is the focus of the session and the focus for which the minister
[00:27:44] was called
[00:27:46] for accountability or to be heard by the council.
[00:27:49] So that I don't prolong, I am also happy here
[00:27:54] the deputy, His Excellency, Deputy Mr. Muhammad
[00:27:57] Al-Haim. Yes, welcome.
[00:28:01] It's simple. How was the session, the atmosphere of the general session?
[00:28:04] And were you convinced also? How were the minister's responses to
[00:28:08] some of the points he answered until this moment?
[00:28:11] First, I thank you
[00:28:14] and tell you that I am optimistic and more
[00:28:18] than optimistic about this meeting
[00:28:20] today. A hearing session with the Minister
[00:28:24] of Energy, His Excellency Minister
[00:28:26] Al-Bashir, is a second station
[00:28:30] for a new start
[00:28:33] and a new impression
[00:28:35] for the comprehensive
[00:28:37] identity of the People's Assembly. The People's Assembly was, before the revolution,
[00:28:41] an assembly of applause. Now, thank God,
[00:28:45] the People's Assembly has become a true legislative institution.
[00:28:49] Through, of course, the constitutional declaration, it said to listen to ministers.
[00:28:52] Honestly, we are now in the middle of the session
[00:28:55] and we have only talked about the oil and gas sector so far.
[00:28:59] In the second session, we will listen to him about the water
[00:29:02] and electricity sector, meaning three
[00:29:05] ministries in one ministry. And we will listen to him, God willing,
[00:29:09] about questions sent to him before
[00:29:13] the session through our fellow deputies.
[00:29:17] The Energy Committee has more than
[00:29:19] 15 colleagues who sent him more than 40
[00:29:23] questions days ago, four days ago.
[00:29:27] This hearing session is based
[00:29:30] on the answers to those questions.
[00:29:33] Of course, the floor will be opened for us after the end
[00:29:36] of the hearing for His Excellency the Minister also
[00:29:39] with some questions or perhaps some
[00:29:42] answers that were not convincing to some colleagues
[00:29:46] or some angles that His Excellency the Minister
[00:29:50] did not address with clear or
[00:29:53] obvious answers or figures.
[00:29:57] colleagues asked him for accurate comparisons and figures,
[00:30:00] he answered positively and said, "I will send you
[00:30:04] the details of everything, God willing, after
[00:30:09] does not allow. We have been listening
[00:30:12] to the station. His Excellency the Deputy, regardless of
[00:30:15] the answers, did you feel
[00:30:19] the minister regarding the subsidies in some parliamentary demands of the street
[00:30:23] and the Syrian people now?
[00:30:25] He is reviewing what he has
[00:30:27] in terms of information.
[00:30:31] promises? No, of course there are no promises now. Perhaps there are
[00:30:35] demands to re-study prices.
[00:30:38] Perhaps there are demands to suspend the price increase
[00:30:42] for electricity, meaning the previous
[00:30:44] decision. There is a request that
[00:30:47] this decision be stopped until the income of the
[00:30:50] average citizen
[00:30:53] not the employee whose salary
[00:30:56] has increased relatively well.