SYRIANNEWS — broadcast
20260920 203000 UTC
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[00:00:08] The Syrian
[00:00:11] also, we are in a race Arab Republic and Ukraine signed a high-level cooperation agreement
[00:00:15] in the field of demining for humanitarian purposes. The agreement
[00:00:18] was signed on behalf of the Syrian side by the Ministry of Emergency
[00:00:22] and Disaster Management, and on behalf of the Ukrainian side
[00:00:25] by the Ministry of Economy
[00:00:28] and Environment. The agreement
[00:00:31] remnants? So when we think about aims to benefit from advanced Ukrainian expertise in the field of demining
[00:00:35] and technical and technological survey of contaminated
[00:00:38] lands, especially in
[00:00:41] dozens of meetings at agricultural areas.
[00:00:45] for openness to
[00:00:48] Today, we signed an agreement with Ukraine. This agreement
[00:00:51] is, of course, about demining and unexploded
[00:00:55] ordnance inside Syria to exchange expertise
[00:00:59] and benefit from the technology that they use in Ukraine
[00:01:02] for the process of demining
[00:01:04] an important partner in this and unexploded ordnance. This agreement, God willing, will be
[00:01:09] the message and deliver it even to
[00:01:09] the human element in this a gateway to many agreements between and reduce many risks to the two peoples, between Ukraine and Syria, for several issues
[00:01:16] munitions that are spread. So awareness and especially in that can be expected or happen between us and
[00:01:18] the Ukrainian state. God willing, these
[00:01:22] agreements will be a gateway to get rid of
[00:01:26] this nightmare, which is the nightmare of mines and unexploded ordnance that
[00:01:29] is spread almost all over Syrian territories. The Ukrainian experience
[00:01:33] was a very great experience in this field. Therefore,
[00:01:36] we, as the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, strove to go
[00:01:40] towards Ukraine to sign a memorandum of understanding or this agreement, which
[00:01:43] will be, God willing, the key
[00:01:47] to getting rid of these munitions and getting rid of these mines
[00:01:50] and getting rid of them permanently throughout
[00:01:53] there today teams Syrian territory and using the technology that they are using as the Ukrainian
[00:01:58] Management to be ready in state for this purpose so that we
[00:02:00] can use the same technology and have speed
[00:02:04] in getting rid of these
[00:02:05] munitions.
[00:02:10] Regarding pollution in Ukraine, it is a very wide scope
[00:02:14] and perhaps the biggest problem in the whole world. We have
[00:02:17] assessed an area of 174
[00:02:20] thousand square kilometers. It is an area affected
[00:02:23] by the war and it is an area that we must
[00:02:26] examine and identify its dangerous
[00:02:28] the rubble, and work on parts and manage them. But the main problem is not
[00:02:32] only the size of the problem, but also the intensity of hostilities
[00:02:35] first, and second, the type
[00:02:38] of ammunition used, because in the areas that have been
[00:02:41] liberated or re-controlled,
[00:02:44] we are dealing with old ammunition, Soviet-Russian
[00:02:47] ammunition and old Western ammunition.
[00:02:50] But when we talk about the current battle lines, they are
[00:02:55] the training of the people modern ammunition such as
[00:02:57] Five martyrs, I survived FPV drones and some different types. Missiles and different
[00:03:01] types of modern weapons about which
[00:03:04] we do not have systematic and real
[00:03:07] knowledge about how to safely clear and manage
[00:03:10] them, nor a full assessment of their effects on
[00:03:14] our lands and soil as a result of this
[00:03:16] pollution.
[00:03:20] and war remnants with
[00:03:24] and war remnants in We expand on this discussion with our guest here in the studio, Professor Ayman Akkad,
[00:03:27] Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. Welcome,
[00:03:31] Professor Ayman. So, we are talking about this
[00:03:34] Eyes are vigilant on agreement specifically, cooperation between Syria and Ukraine in the field of
[00:03:38] demining for humanitarian purposes. First, we would like
[00:03:41] to know why you went to Ukraine specifically in this
[00:03:44] matter that
[00:03:46] They are spread across every has a humanitarian dimension in the first
[00:03:49] place, regarding demining
[00:03:53] different types of mines? Unfortunately, and this great danger, and why now?
[00:03:56] giving that knows Also, greetings. Good evening to you and the dear viewers.
[00:04:01] A very good question, actually. Why Ukraine?
[00:04:04] Unfortunately, Syria today is
[00:04:08] number two in the spread
[00:04:11] of unexploded ordnance and mines.
[00:04:14] Why number two? Because Ukraine became number
[00:04:17] one after the war. Hmm.
[00:04:20] in the Ministry of Defense. This is another The difference is that
[00:04:22] planted in the soil, in Ukraine is the world's breadbasket, as is well known. It relies on
[00:04:26] things, they are harder to detect. They agriculture in its economy. As you saw, our partners in this
[00:04:29] agreement are the Ministry of Economy
[00:04:33] and Environment. We wonder why the economy. This was
[00:04:36] a very good question, actually. The economy
[00:04:38] stage is part of this is the backbone of the Ukrainian economy, it is agriculture.
[00:04:41] Why Ukraine? Ukraine over
[00:04:44] German companies to time,
[00:04:45] the Ministry of Emergency, or even from I mean,
[00:04:51] the Conference of States Parties to humanitarian organizations working in and the war in Ukraine led the Ukrainian government to work on restoring the role of this
[00:04:54] be able to say
[00:04:55] We, unfortunately, economy, which means working on liberating agricultural lands
[00:04:58] for investment
[00:05:00] and accelerating the process of technology
[00:05:02] of casualties is less than development in Ukraine, relying on
[00:05:04] the previous day, unfortunately, international partners, European
[00:05:06] partners in investing in this sector. So we found
[00:05:10] the same philosophy of the ministry, and I believe the philosophy of the
[00:05:13] Syrian government today, that we should not reinvent the wheel.
[00:05:16] We start from where others have left off. Our minister
[00:05:20] always talks about this, and
[00:05:23] against time, so that we
[00:05:26] know that Syria today, unfortunately, is a huge
[00:05:30] minefield, not only mines but also remnants of war, unexploded
[00:05:34] ordnance. So the race against time means
[00:05:37] preventing Syrian citizens from reaching
[00:05:41] dangerous places. So we turned to
[00:05:44] all countries and international partners working
[00:05:48] or involved in the file of humanitarian demining
[00:05:52] for these partnerships. This falls within our
[00:05:55] vision
[00:05:57] the world and exchange of expertise. Syria has a lot
[00:06:01] of expertise due to the years
[00:06:04] of the revolution. We also offer it to our international
[00:06:07] partners. There is a lot that we can offer and
[00:06:10] also a lot that we can bring. These visits, these international
[00:06:14] partnerships. So Ukraine is
[00:06:17] sector due to the accumulated experience. Welcome
[00:06:20] back with us, Professor Ayman, as we talk about demining
[00:06:26] agricultural areas. How does that help in securing
[00:06:29] the return of our displaced and refugee people to their homes
[00:06:32] and areas? You know that one of
[00:06:36] the reasons for not returning is the presence of mines
[00:06:39] and war remnants that the fallen Assad regime used to shell with.
[00:06:46] Yes, the committee of Decree 59 announced by His Excellency
[00:06:50] the President is entrusted to Mr. Raed Saleh, Minister
[00:06:54] of Development and Disaster Management. So the responsibility for this
[00:06:57] vision falls on the steering committee and the executive
[00:07:01] committee. So we always look at the matter in 360
[00:07:04] degrees, as they say, so that we see the displaced
[00:07:07] Syrian citizen, our people living today in tents. When they return to
[00:07:11] their homes, what are the challenges? What will they need to settle down
[00:07:14] and live? To return voluntarily first and live
[00:07:17] with dignity and safety for them and their children. First
[00:07:20] of all, we certainly need to clear the areas
[00:07:24] of mines and war remnants. We know the use of cluster munitions, the use of many, many
[00:07:27] of these munitions. So we have to survey these
[00:07:31] areas, identify the contaminated areas, and then, for
[00:07:34] example, bring in heavy equipment after
[00:07:37] we finish the survey to remove
[00:07:40] the infrastructure. When we finish everything,
[00:07:44] consider me one of our displaced people returning to one of
[00:07:47] the cities in northern Syria, for example. I have a house,
[00:07:51] I have a clinic for children, God forbid, if I need
[00:07:54] a school or transportation. But my livelihood.
[00:07:58] We know that rural areas mostly depend on agriculture,
[00:08:02] inherited from generation to generation. So how will you return if you are not
[00:08:05] confident that your next step is safe?
[00:08:08] So we focused our efforts on providing
[00:08:12] a livelihood for the returning citizens, God willing, to
[00:08:16] secure their next steps to invest in
[00:08:19] their lands, including Syrian food security, so that Syria
[00:08:22] relies on itself in securing its food and also securing
[00:08:26] a decent livelihood for citizens. That's why the focus was on
[00:08:29] combining demining efforts
[00:08:32] accelerated efforts to return our displaced people to their homes, God
[00:08:36] willing. We talked about the advanced Ukrainian expertise
[00:08:39] in this context, Professor Ayman.
[00:08:43] And it is numerous. The highest cost
[00:08:46] in this context is the lives of
[00:08:49] Syrians, some of whom belong to the Ministry of Defense
[00:08:52] and some of whom belong to the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster
[00:08:56] Management. And this is also related to our vision for
[00:09:00] next year of zero tents, God willing.
[00:09:03] So how will that contribute to
[00:09:06] reducing this great harm or paying this
[00:09:09] high price, which is the lives of Syrians?
[00:09:12] Demining for the return of our people to their places.
[00:09:16] Okay, let me clarify something first. There is something called
[00:09:19] humanitarian demining. These areas, let's
[00:09:23] call them, where military operations
[00:09:26] do not take place. And there is demining that
[00:09:29] falls under our brothers
[00:09:33] scope of work. We are authorized to remove
[00:09:36] mines for humanitarian purposes. These are the civilian areas we talked about
[00:09:39] first. But the victims
[00:09:42] don't distinguish between military or civilian, citizen or child, or
[00:09:46] anything. The first rule in demining is that the first mistake
[00:09:49] is the last mistake, okay? So whether for demining
[00:09:53] workers, whether from the staff of the Ministry of Defense or the staff of
[00:10:00] the field or civilians in it,
[00:10:03] we always say that we are in a race against time.
[00:10:08] count at the end of the day how much progress
[00:10:11] we have made. If the number
[00:10:16] we do not have an accurate estimate
[00:10:20] of the number of mines and war remnants, but there
[00:10:23] are reports.
[00:10:32] The desert, agricultural areas, urban areas. When we think
[00:10:36] about these casualties we have, this is the race
[00:10:40] against time we are talking about. What
[00:10:44] are the tactics we follow to reduce
[00:10:47] human interaction from any
[00:10:50] party with the possibility of reaching a mine or war
[00:10:56] the matter, we need technology, cameras,
[00:11:00] magnetic scanners
[00:11:03] because they detect the areas where metals are spread,
[00:11:06] for example. I ask the locals, even the locals always
[00:11:10] call this non-technical surveying. We ask the residents of the area,
[00:11:13] do you know anything? Did you see anything suspicious, for example, so that we can
[00:11:17] build a database that we then use to target
[00:11:20] areas that we believe or where the probability of mines
[00:11:24] existing is higher. As for the presence of technology,
[00:11:27] it allows us to shorten many distances
[00:11:34] interaction. So Ukraine possesses a lot of this
[00:11:38] technology, and thank God they are very
[00:11:42] open to this cooperation. We see it as a strategic
[00:11:45] step in accelerating and increasing acceleration
[00:11:48] even, I mean, we have already started, thank God, but to increase
[00:11:52] the acceleration of operations of disposal and removal and detection
[00:11:55] first of all of the spread. Very good, Professor Ayman.
[00:11:59] And we are talking about Syrian expertise, specifically the expertise
[00:12:03] gained by civil defense volunteers during the years of the revolution,
[00:12:06] this expertise that was imbued with their blood
[00:12:10] that was shed because of what the defunct Assad regime left behind
[00:12:13] and the scar it left in the hearts of all Syrians. Are
[00:12:18] being prepared in the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster
[00:12:23] case the ministry is asked to cooperate with any country, as happened with the rescue
[00:12:26] team that went to Venezuela, as you know,
[00:12:30] in the middle of this year in June?
[00:12:32] I think with this question I need
[00:12:36] to clarify two different things that belong to the Ministry
[00:12:39] of Emergency and Disaster Management. We have the National Center for Mine Action
[00:12:43] in mine-affected countries. There is always
[00:12:47] a central authority
[00:12:50] that works on building policies, strategies,
[00:12:53] and prioritizing. And also quality
[00:12:57] inspection, meaning if a humanitarian
[00:12:59] organization or a company, for example, tells you that I
[00:13:02] have cleared 100 hectares in an area in central
[00:13:06] Syria, who determines if it is true or not? Who says
[00:13:09] it is safe for people to return and use this land
[00:13:13] or not? There must be a national authority responsible
[00:13:16] for this matter that inspects
[00:13:20] working on the ground, inspects the equipment,
[00:13:24] inspects the financial resources allocated,
[00:13:27] because, I mean, the issue of
[00:13:30] mine disposal is a very expensive matter
[00:13:33] financially. So these financial resources
[00:13:36] and human resources must be used in the best and safest
[00:13:40] possible way. So the National Center does not remove
[00:13:43] mines, but rather sets the broad policies
[00:13:46] for disposing of mines
[00:13:49] Syria. As for the operational side, the Ministry
[00:13:53] of Emergency and Disaster Management established a department
[00:13:57] for disposing of war remnants and combating mines, which builds on
[00:14:00] the legacy of the Syrian Civil Defense, which was
[00:14:04] active in disposing of war remnants,
[00:14:07] meaning we increase
[00:14:10] the training they receive, raise their levels so that
[00:14:13] they can deal with different types of mines. Why do I say
[00:14:18] mines are not only
[00:14:22] metallic. Over time, through the
[00:14:25] years of revolution, there were many non-military
[00:14:28] organized militias. Military entities, whatever they were,
[00:14:32] used military engineering either to plant
[00:14:35] mines, either in a zigzag pattern or other patterns that
[00:14:38] can be detected more easily.
[00:14:42] As for plastic mines or booby traps
[00:14:47] sewage systems, and these
[00:14:51] cannot be detected by metal detectors, for example. So you need
[00:14:55] to improve the quality of training, the quality of this
[00:14:58] training to deal with different types of munitions used
[00:15:02] so that you ensure
[00:15:06] the protection of the workers working in the field of humanitarian
[00:15:09] demining, and also be able to, when you say
[00:15:13] that you declare an area
[00:15:15] as liberated and clean,
[00:15:19] 100% about this report. But
[00:15:23] I repeat, the margin of error always
[00:15:26] remains, unfortunately, through the experiences of other nations,
[00:15:30] the margin of error always remains. That's why we
[00:15:34] work on raising awareness about the dangers of mines,
[00:15:38] detecting the shapes of these mines or unexploded
[00:15:41] ordnance spread in Syria so that the community is
[00:15:44] the first protector of itself before, God willing,
[00:15:47] they need any workers
[00:15:51] So this department established and we are working on it
[00:15:54] 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365
[00:15:58] days a year. Yes, to reduce the margin of error,
[00:16:01] especially the human factor. There are also
[00:16:04] civilians who fall victim to these mines.
[00:16:08] How do we reduce? What are the strategies available at the
[00:16:11] National Mine Action Center to raise awareness among people?
[00:16:15] This, perhaps, Mr. Fadi
[00:16:18] can talk better than me about this topic, as I am not
[00:16:22] a technical person. But the programs
[00:16:25] are divided into several stages according to
[00:16:28] the spread reports. But the community
[00:16:31] is the first protector and the first awareness-raiser for us. We,
[00:16:35] I mean, we are working on,
[00:16:38] I mean, the way of working is integrated programs with education,
[00:16:41] starting from school, because a child can carry
[00:16:46] the home, and the child is the one who goes out to play. We can introduce
[00:16:50] them to the forms of these
[00:16:53] starts from children and families
[00:16:55] at the beginning. Other matters are responses.
[00:16:59] I mean, when we discover a certain area that has
[00:17:03] reports of mines or war remnants spread, we notify
[00:17:07] the affected community
[00:17:15] about this danger and restrict access to it so that civilians or users of these lands and areas do not reach it within these programs. This will
[00:17:19] be integrated, God willing, into the early warning system that we are working on, God
[00:17:23] willing. Your efforts are appreciated, Professor Ayman Akkad, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the
[00:17:26] Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. You were with us here in the studio. Thank
[00:17:30] you very much. Thank you. And with
[00:17:34] this, dear viewers, we come to the end of the Syrian program files tonight.
[00:17:37] Thank you for your kind follow-up. Thank you. In
[00:17:41] God's peace and care. Goodbye.
[00:18:29] For us, God willing, we have served you.
[00:18:34] detention and lost approximately 15 people from
[00:18:38] my family. I am the daughter of a completely
[00:18:40] lost family.
[00:18:45] I hope God gives you patience and
[00:18:48] strength. We are by your side until you reach
[00:18:51] the truth.
[00:18:53] Your
[00:19:00] cause is not a secondary cause for us, nor is it
[00:19:03] a propaganda cause. This is a duty we carry on our shoulders, God willing, we will work on
[00:19:55] the first delegations that visited Damascus and the German
[00:19:58] delegation.
[00:20:05] We believe today there is a very great opportunity to develop this
[00:20:09] relationship between Syria
[00:20:11] and Germany.
[00:20:17] A very important opportunity to be exploited by
[00:20:22] invest in Syrian sectors.
[00:20:35] We have passed the stage of getting to know each other and exchanging
[00:20:37] trust, and now is the right time to start
[00:20:40] working.
[00:21:11] And in front of an international scene that is anticipating the path of the new
[00:21:13] Syria. The Turkish Republic has been a leader
[00:21:17] in being among the countries that have reopened their embassy
[00:21:21] doors in Damascus,
[00:21:24] and has opened its crossings and supply lines.
[00:21:28] Today we are talking about
[00:21:31] the presidential and ministerial levels, and 40
[00:21:35] agreements and memoranda of understanding. Based on this
[00:21:38] solid foundation, our discussions today revolved around
[00:21:41] activating the Joint Higher Committee between
[00:21:44] our two countries. Syria stands today with its full
[00:21:47] sovereignty to draw its national paths with a free
[00:21:50] will and choose its partnerships and direct its investments
[00:21:54] and development based on its
[00:21:57] supreme interests. This is Syria, she is loved.
[00:23:28] Well-thought-out steps
[00:23:29] and plans
[00:23:33] implemented accurately.
[00:23:37] Competencies are distributed in the Syrian Ministry of Interior
[00:23:40] to draw a comprehensive
[00:23:44] security map.
[00:23:50] The extended security men have been precisely
[00:23:54] prepared to secure every
[00:23:57] inch.
[00:24:00] Their specialties were diversified to confront all possibilities
[00:24:03] of danger. Every military uniform
[00:24:06] tells a story of long training, by
[00:24:10] God Almighty.
[00:24:13] By God, for men who swore to perform their duty towards
[00:24:16] the homeland.
[00:24:24] the borders, dismantling Captagon and drug smuggling
[00:24:28] networks.
[00:24:36] inch of Syrian geography, securing every
[00:24:39] corner, square,
[00:24:41] and road. A journey of
[00:24:46] no stopping, and an endeavor
[00:24:51] that knows
[00:24:51] no weariness.
[00:24:55] Vigilant eyes, complete
[00:24:57] readiness,
[00:25:02] for the sake of a tomorrow where stability prevails.
[00:25:16] I benefited a lot from this meeting. Useful things and we got to know
[00:25:20] the National Defense Sciences University.
[00:27:53] Utilizing this dock and starting to work on it is to reduce
[00:27:56] the waiting time for ships in the anchorage area by increasing
[00:28:00] the port's capacity and providing better and faster service to customers.
[00:30:34] The levers for building a nation are numerous and varied, and every government
[00:30:37] action in this
[00:30:41] construction. The stronger and more solid those levers
[00:30:44] are, the faster and stronger the construction
[00:30:48] process becomes. So in Doha, Syria participates in
[00:30:53] the Arab Convention against Corruption
[00:30:57] to gain experience and contribute.