SYRIATV — broadcast
20260920 090000 UTC
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[00:00:14] session that may not
[00:00:26] will significantly reduce
[00:00:27] and sold at
[00:00:27] theft and encroachment on
[00:00:33] Welcome to this news bulletin, which we start
[00:00:36] with the headlines.
[00:00:39] and objections in the Syrian street The People's Assembly holds a session today to hear from the Minister of Energy regarding the increase
[00:00:42] in fuel prices last
[00:00:44] week.
[00:00:47] Dismantling a network involved in drug trafficking and promotion in Homs
[00:00:51] and arresting nine of
[00:00:53] its members.
[00:00:55] Israeli occupation forces bomb with several shells the forest of
[00:00:59] Bir Ajam, west of the village of Zubayda in the Quneitra countryside,
[00:01:05] there are observations on and the Directorate of Health in Deir Ezzor inaugurates the Cardiac
[00:01:08] Catheterization Department in the governorate and performs the first
[00:01:11] successful operation.
[00:01:21] the justifications and circumstances that accompanied this
[00:01:28] you. In with the excellent
[00:01:31] Details: The People's Assembly will hold a hearing today for Minister of Energy
[00:01:35] Muhammad al-Bashir to discuss
[00:01:38] the reality of the energy sector and the reasons for raising
[00:01:41] fuel prices and the repercussions of the decision on citizens and productive
[00:01:45] sectors. The session is scheduled to address
[00:01:48] oil, electricity, and water issues after their prices increased
[00:01:52] plan in this and the ministry was given additional time to complete
[00:01:56] the required data and files.
[00:01:58] The session was scheduled for last Thursday
[00:02:02] before the council postponed it until today at the request
[00:02:05] of the Ministry of Energy. Its convening comes after
[00:02:09] protests witnessed in various regions of Syria following
[00:02:12] the increase
[00:02:13] in fuel prices.
[00:02:17] After the increase in fuel prices last week, the Syrian street
[00:02:21] in several governorates witnessed a wave of protests rejecting
[00:02:24] the decision, followed by a press conference
[00:02:27] to public by Al-Bashir, in which he spoke about three prices for fuel
[00:02:30] according to the nature of use. The course of these
[00:02:33] events is in this
[00:02:35] there no presentation with Bilal Al-Bizri.
[00:02:39] Raising fuel prices was not a trivial decision
[00:02:42] to solve this for a wide segment of the establishment of a refinery Syrians, as
[00:02:45] protests rejecting the decision quickly spread
[00:02:49] in a number of governorates.
[00:02:51] bills
[00:02:52] to rationalize and austerity in These protests were the largest of their kind, involving the burning of tires and blocking vital
[00:02:56] roads. The decision issued by the committee
[00:03:00] for determining the prices of petroleum materials and mineral wealth
[00:03:02] included raising the prices of petroleum products
[00:03:05] by percentages that reached up to
[00:03:08] 40%. This committee has issued several decisions
[00:03:12] since its formation in June that stipulated
[00:03:15] adjusting fuel prices. The Ministry of Energy attributed
[00:03:19] the latest increase to the rise in the costs of securing
[00:03:22] petroleum products globally, coinciding with
[00:03:26] the maintenance of the Baniyas
[00:03:28] the executive authority must cooperate refinery and the import of about two-thirds of Syria's needs
[00:03:31] for petroleum products, while it can only produce
[00:03:34] one-third. However, these clarifications did not
[00:03:38] to address this seem to alleviate the severity and dissatisfaction of the
[00:03:41] public. With the escalating popular
[00:03:44] protests
[00:03:47] in regulation and monitoring. From this against the decision, the People's Assembly called on the Minister of Energy, Mohammed Al-Bashir, for
[00:03:51] a session to clarify the Ministry's reasons
[00:03:55] sector in generating alternative energy increases or decreases in for the price increase and the considerations that accompanied its issuance,
[00:03:58] amidst popular
[00:04:00] committee or from the council, demands to reverse the decision and alleviate living burdens.
[00:04:06] in supplies or halt in to face any sudden shortage From the People's Assembly in Damascus, our Syrian TV correspondent Hazem Awad
[00:04:08] price, especially in joins me. Welcome, Hazem. How
[00:04:13] go to are the vibes at the People's Assembly today before the start of the hearing
[00:04:23] started yet. It is expected to begin in the coming
[00:04:26] minutes. This session is
[00:04:29] required of the dedicated to hearing what the Ministry of Energy may find to be a convincing
[00:04:33] briefing to the members of the Council and the Syrian people
[00:04:36] regarding the recent increase in energy prices.
[00:04:40] The Syrian public is perhaps waiting today for a measure that will
[00:04:43] not happen. Some people in the Syrian
[00:04:46] street believe that
[00:04:50] why does the government this hearing session may be more like an accountability or
[00:04:53] interrogation session, but it is just a hearing session.
[00:04:58] and the reflection of their pricing on According to Article 30, as stipulated in the temporary
[00:05:02] the daily consumption rate of constitution, there will be a constitutional declaration
[00:05:05] that the People's Assembly has authority
[00:05:08] over the executive authority only regarding listening to
[00:05:12] the justifications, determinants, and circumstances of some decisions that have been issued, and
[00:05:16] the People's Assembly does not have the right to withhold confidence or to interrogate,
[00:05:19] or even to dismiss a minister or a government.
[00:05:22] Therefore, today is a hearing
[00:05:26] differ from what the Minister of Energy presented last
[00:05:29] Thursday. Everyone knows that the hearing session
[00:05:33] was supposed to be held last Thursday, even though some people in the Syrian
[00:05:37] street objected to the postponement of the session. The decision was issued
[00:05:40] at the beginning of the week and a hearing session was announced at the end of the week,
[00:05:44] but the Minister of Energy also requested a postponement until Sunday, and a full
[00:05:48] week of protests
[00:05:51] against this decision passed. However, the Minister of Energy on
[00:05:55] Wednesday met with President Ahmed
[00:05:58] Al-Sharaa in the evening and emerged
[00:06:02] on Thursday at the same time he was supposed to emerge
[00:06:05] under the parliament's dome and requested clarification. He held
[00:06:09] a press conference and gave justifications for what is happening
[00:06:13] and for what caused the increase in
[00:06:16] prices or the motives that stood behind the increase in fuel prices
[00:06:19] and offered a solution that has not yet
[00:06:23] been implemented on the ground and is a partial
[00:06:26] solution only for diesel, which was divided into three
[00:06:29] categories, and he presented
[00:06:33] announcement, and there was no reversal of the prices
[00:06:37] that were recently set. Today,
[00:06:40] the Syrians are waiting to see what he will present
[00:06:42] under the parliament's dome, what questions
[00:06:46] the members of the People's Assembly will raise, and what the outcome of
[00:06:49] the hearing session will be. Usually, hearing sessions do not result
[00:06:52] in binding decisions for the executive
[00:06:55] authority because they are merely hearings. They may result in some
[00:06:59] non-binding recommendations for the Ministry of Energy.
[00:07:02] During the past week, there was a hearing session for the Minister of Education.
[00:07:05] We did not see any special measures
[00:07:09] regarding yes, Hazem.
[00:07:13] I will go directly to the People's Assembly
[00:07:16] to follow the hearing session
[00:07:19] for the Minister of Energy, Mohammad
[00:07:27] Committee will present what it has, as chairman
[00:07:31] and members. After that,
[00:07:34] we will hear the response of His Excellency the Minister of Energy
[00:07:37] on this matter. Mr. Muayyad will begin by reading
[00:07:41] the names of those who will speak from the Energy
[00:08:02] has become a national and societal security
[00:08:06] par excellence. Not just numbers or supply
[00:08:09] chains, but it is the backbone of the economy, its
[00:08:13] foundation, and part of the identity of states and their sovereignty.
[00:08:16] Our eyes are on the state that emerged from the womb of revolution
[00:08:19] and sacrifices, and our other eye is on our bereaved
[00:08:23] and tired people who have suffered much,
[00:08:26] and they deserve all our work, diligence, and sacrifice
[00:08:29] to raise their standard of living and ensure a decent
[00:08:32] life worthy of them and their revolution.
[00:08:35] Today, we face a great challenge and a difficult
[00:08:39] reality, and we are aware of its consequences and implications. But with the awareness
[00:08:42] of our people, their patience, and your
[00:08:45] determination, we will overcome these difficulties, God willing. Most
[00:08:48] of the axes and interventions will be about
[00:08:51] crude oil, its refining and extraction
[00:08:55] and its governance and distribution.
[00:08:57] We will also talk about natural gas and its processing, and about
[00:09:01] electricity, its reality, and development plans.
[00:09:04] There will also be several interventions and axes
[00:09:07] for renewable energy and its localization, dams,
[00:09:10] wind, and water.
[00:09:13] Therefore, I hope, Your Excellency the Minister, that you will be patient
[00:09:17] with the fellow deputies in this session, and that the language
[00:09:20] of numbers and the percentage of actual achievement will be the master
[00:09:24] of the situation, for my fellow deputies represent the pulse
[00:09:28] of the street and the nation, and its hopes. We work
[00:09:31] together as legislative and executive authorities to reach
[00:09:35] the highest levels of giving and achievement to serve the nation
[00:10:02] transparent and clear figures on domestic production,
[00:10:05] in terms of the number of wells, the number of
[00:10:09] fields, and the number of barrels produced daily, along with
[00:10:14] oil, gas,
[00:10:16] and electricity.
[00:10:19] We also question the contradictory statements.
[00:10:22] The truth is, every now and then, we see a statement
[00:10:26] that looks like a question mark around the statements.
[00:10:30] What is
[00:10:32] the actual cost per liter of gasoline,
[00:10:35] diesel, and a gas cylinder?
[00:10:39] We also want the disclosure of purchase contracts for petroleum products.
[00:10:43] Are they made through tenders
[00:10:46] and bids, or are they subject
[00:10:50] to competition or monopoly, or are there other
[00:10:52] criteria? We have developed a phobia
[00:10:56] of the phenomenon of Katirji
[00:10:59] and Hamasho. We
[00:11:01] cannot repeat that phenomenon here. I do not
[00:11:05] know.
[00:11:09] What are the justifications
[00:11:12] and circumstances of the sudden price increase?
[00:11:15] It was
[00:11:17] as if
[00:11:19] something was planned overnight. We wake up in the morning and find
[00:11:23] that prices have skyrocketed.
[00:11:28] His Excellency the Minister proposed the three
[00:11:31] types.
[00:11:34] Here we also enter into a crisis, which is
[00:11:38] the crisis of corruption.
[00:11:41] Surely, gas stations
[00:11:44] might mix the bad type
[00:11:49] regular type,
[00:11:51] meaning.
[00:11:57] What is the equation and criteria adopted by the committee
[00:12:01] for determining petroleum product prices?
[00:12:04] What are the criteria? What is
[00:12:07] the equation?
[00:12:12] Also, the Euphrates Dam has
[00:12:16] four pumps or four
[00:12:19] turbines that are only working, and the other four
[00:12:23] are out of order.
[00:12:28] The pumping station in Maskana, east of
[00:12:31] Al-Yabaniyeh, has six engines, only two
[00:12:34] of which are working, and four are out of order.
[00:12:36] The rehabilitation
[00:12:39] of irrigation networks in Maskana, east of a huge
[00:12:43] project, irrigates
[00:12:46] 17,700
[00:12:48] hectares. The infrastructure
[00:12:52] of the networks
[00:12:55] is fast, but no one is listening.
[00:12:58] تنادي
[00:13:03] The Rasafa conversion station, this is my area. I am talking about
[00:13:05] my area. It is also out of order,
[00:13:09] and because of it, 120
[00:13:12] wells
[00:13:15] are only 10 working on diesel. Only 110 are stopped.
[00:13:19] 110 wells.
[00:13:22] The reason is that the electricity conversion station is out of order.
[00:13:29] I repeat once again, 110
[00:13:32] are out of order and only 10 are working.
[00:13:34] The reason is the Rasafa conversion
[00:13:38] station. The power station
[00:13:40] is out of order. So 110
[00:13:43] wells are out of order, and only 10 are working. The ones working are on
[00:13:46] separate diesel
[00:13:48] engines.
[00:13:51] This station also supplies
[00:13:55] Al-Safi, Al-Mamlahah, and Al-Wahab. All of them are
[00:13:58] stations. When
[00:14:00] will
[00:14:39] to postpone the Umrah procedures and the periodic maintenance of the two
[00:14:42] Baniyas refineries to avoid the direct repercussions on prices
[00:14:46] and the derivatives market? What are the real reasons
[00:14:49] behind delaying the implementation of this step? We also request
[00:14:53] to be briefed on the general technical information of the facility, and whether
[00:14:57] the completion of maintenance work guarantees a return to full
[00:15:00] readiness with an estimated production capacity of
[00:15:03] 135,000 barrels per day, with
[00:15:07] stability and sustainability of production
[00:15:08] quantities.
[00:15:12] After the recent decisions,
[00:15:15] not adopt a general and declared policy to subsidize
[00:15:18] fuel and electricity targeting the most needy
[00:15:22] classes as a transitional measure when living
[00:15:25] standards and purchasing power
[00:15:28] of citizens improve?
[00:15:34] In the framework of transparency, we request
[00:15:37] to be provided with details of the work of
[00:15:40] the committee that sets the prices of petroleum products. What is this
[00:15:43] committee composed of? What is the mechanism and periodicity
[00:15:47] of its meetings, and how are decisions made and the mechanisms
[00:15:50] for calculating costs in it?
[00:15:53] Is there a plan for instant digital
[00:15:56] linking and control of gasoline and diesel quantities
[00:16:00] and how to calculate the rise and fall
[00:16:02] and the quantities supplied
[00:16:05] stations
[00:16:07] to reduce congestion and control markets when prices
[00:16:11] change? And what are the adopted
[00:16:14] criteria for distributing quantities, and is
[00:16:17] there any preference for some stations over others,
[00:16:43] the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC)
[00:16:46] regarding the contracts concluded with local service
[00:16:50] companies for the maintenance of wells, pipelines,
[00:16:53] and sites. What is the contracting
[00:16:56] mechanism? What is the legal reference?
[00:16:59] Is it true that the contracts were concluded by mutual
[00:17:03] agreement or direct contracting,
[00:17:06] which violates Syrian Contracts Law No. 51
[00:17:10] of 2004?
[00:17:14] How many years do we need to become
[00:17:17] self-sufficient in oil, gas,
[00:17:20] and electricity and start
[00:17:22] exporting? In this context, please
[00:17:26] provide us with the broad outlines of the ministry's
[00:17:30] area to advance the energy
[00:17:33] sector.
[00:17:36] Your Excellency, the Minister, Syrian oil has been transported from the far east to the far
[00:17:40] west, to the Homs and Baniyas refineries,
[00:17:43] and vice versa, transporting petroleum products to
[00:17:46] the eastern regions. This has many effects and drawbacks,
[00:17:50] the biggest of which is the loading of
[00:17:53] transportation costs onto the prices of petroleum
[00:17:56] products,
[00:17:59] in addition to the damage that these heavy
[00:18:02] vehicles cause
[00:18:04] roads. It causes traffic
[00:18:08] jams and danger. Why is
[00:18:12] rush to accelerate
[00:18:16] in the eastern region
[00:18:20] matter?
[00:18:22] Mr. President, Your Excellency, the Minister, we ask you to issue a circular
[00:18:25] to address ministries and obligate them
[00:18:30] civil and military sectors, and cancel
[00:18:33] open personal cards
[00:18:36] for fuel. And follow a strict
[00:18:39] monitoring mechanism. Thank
[00:19:08] In the framework of our oversight responsibility, I would like to ask the following questions:
[00:19:12] First, from your position
[00:19:14] and your reading of the market and your assessment of the current economic conditions, what
[00:19:18] is the specific timeframe for the continuation of the recent increase in petroleum
[00:19:21] product prices? And does the Ministry, in light of the protests
[00:19:25] regarding the price increase decision, have new and clear criteria and controls
[00:19:29] upon which any future
[00:19:32] prices will be based? Second, energy security and strategic
[00:19:36] reserves. What is the strategic plan and emergency
[00:19:39] plans adopted by the Ministry
[00:19:44] production? What is the current strategic reserve of
[00:19:47] petroleum products, and how much time
[00:19:50] can it cover the country's needs in case of supply
[00:19:53] disruption?
[00:19:56] Third, benefiting from Iraqi oil. To what extent
[00:20:00] is it possible to achieve maximum economic and strategic
[00:20:03] benefit for Syria from transporting Iraqi oil through our
[00:20:06] territory, whether through transit, refining, storage,
[00:20:10] or export through Syrian ports? And
[00:20:14] are there actual discussions with the Iraqi side in this regard? Fourth
[00:20:18] and finally, the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline. Does
[00:20:21] the Ministry have a plan and a working proposal for rehabilitating and operating
[00:20:25] the Iraqi-Syrian Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline? And has a technical
[00:20:28] and economic study been conducted to determine the cost of rehabilitation,
[00:20:32] the time required for implementation, the expected operating capacity,
[00:20:36] and the returns it can achieve?
[00:20:38] We hope that the answers will be specific with numbers
[00:20:42] and timeframes, because the energy file directly affects
[00:20:45] the economic and living security
[00:21:08] regarding cases of covering up corruption and manifestations of extravagance,
[00:21:11] waste, and squandering of public funds. The question is, we want
[00:21:15] a complete database about SPC, its establishment,
[00:21:18] its structure, its rights, and its powers, and we request a clarification
[00:21:22] session with the head of the Syrian Oil Company in the presence of the Energy
[00:21:25] Committee.
[00:21:27] Is there a plan to link oil and gas fields with high-efficiency
[00:21:31] and reliable meters that are connected
[00:21:33] from the fields to shipping, refineries, and ports,
[00:21:37] and to accurately control figures at the state level and prevent
[00:21:40] corruption and manipulation?
[00:21:43] Your Excellency, the Minister, several companies have entered into
[00:21:47] joint ventures in oil fields, such as HKN and Novatec.
[00:21:51] What is the progress in terms of completion rates, and what
[00:21:54] is the partnership mechanism in general, with the provision of the names
[00:21:57] of the fields and their specific
[00:22:00] contracts? The last question: are all
[00:22:04] oil and gas fields under the absolute control of the Syrian
[00:22:27] that there be a database with accurate
[00:22:30] statistics and tools to measure the success of the experience of pumping various
[00:22:34] types of diesel into the market and studying the economic
[00:22:37] feasibility, fair distribution,
[00:22:40] and delivery to those
[00:22:43] who deserve it. Second, why are there no
[00:22:47] medium-sized oil refineries
[00:22:50] that are spread near oil fields
[00:22:53] and whose derivatives are allocated to the same
[00:22:57] governorates that have the fields to save
[00:23:00] shipping costs, employ their people, monitor,
[00:23:03] and reduce reliance on Baniyas and Homs refineries at
[00:23:07] the national level? Third, we request
[00:23:10] the creation of a future fund whose purpose
[00:23:13] is to intervene in cases of price increases
[00:23:16] beyond a certain threshold
[00:23:18] and to intervene to return prices to this threshold.
[00:23:22] Fourth, what is the estimated
[00:23:25] percentage from your point of view
[00:23:28] of waste in the energy sector, whether governmental in terms of
[00:23:32] convoys, events,
[00:23:35] and displays, or from the citizen's
[00:23:38] side in terms of not paying
[00:24:05] the defunct gang left a heavy legacy and caused
[00:24:09] a huge amount of problems that no government
[00:24:12] could handle. To dismantle and solve these problems,
[00:24:18] with various social and economic activities
[00:24:21] and involve them to alleviate the burden. From this perspective,
[00:24:25] I see the involvement of national economic activities in the energy
[00:24:29] sector, from production to transportation and distribution, with appropriate
[00:24:32] incentives and sufficiency
[00:24:37] perspective,
[00:24:41] I see the involvement of the private
[00:24:45] in the short and medium
[00:24:48] term. And the question is, what are the incentives
[00:24:50] for those who produce energy, offered by the Ministry of Energy to those
[00:24:54] who generate energy from solar energy a suitable
[00:24:58] industrial
[00:24:59] areas?
[00:25:03] Public opinion is always engaged in a wide debate
[00:25:07] about the contracts concluded between the Ministry of Energy and some
[00:25:10] entities. I will give an example: Urbacon company. There are suspicions
[00:25:14] and observations about the extent of the obligations
[00:25:19] company, and about the legal basis on which
[00:25:22] contracts are concluded with these
[00:25:25] companies. Please provide
[00:25:29] the council with a full copy of this contract and other
[00:25:32] contracts.
[00:25:36] And the question that arises is, why are electricity
[00:25:40] and energy investments confined to the state or
[00:25:44] confidential? We are surprised by a contract here and an understanding
[00:25:48] there with
[00:25:50] various entities, with the possibility that
[00:25:54] if the contract were offered to another entity, the results
[00:25:57] would perhaps be better.
[00:26:01] And I also have questions: what
[00:26:04] is the situation and the completion rate of maintenance of
[00:26:07] thermal and hydroelectric power plants? And what
[00:26:11] is the expected time to reach maximum
[00:26:14] production capacity? What is the government's plan to install
[00:26:18] smart meters for electricity and water,
[00:26:21] and when will they be completed? We know
[00:26:24] that installing these meters
[00:26:30] the network.
[00:26:33] And I conclude by asking: what is the impact of the rising
[00:26:37] cost of fuel and gas on electricity prices
[00:26:40] in the future? We request through
[00:26:44] the Energy Committee, and this is the opinion of a large
[00:26:48] number of colleagues, to support
[00:26:48] the first
[00:26:52] category with more than 300 kilowatts
[00:26:55] or reduce it by half, or create a medium category,
[00:26:58] meaning there should be three
[00:27:01] categories: a first category for low-income
[00:27:04] and poor people,
[00:27:07] a second category for middle-income people, and a third
[00:27:10] category for the rest
[00:27:30] fact, I have four questions that I would like to direct to
[00:27:34] His Excellency the Minister. The first question: We would like
[00:27:38] detailed information about the 2026 budget regarding the
[00:27:42] Ministry of Energy in terms of revenues, expenditures,
[00:27:45] and deficits from the beginning of its adoption after the completion
[00:27:49] of the twelve-year budgets. The second
[00:27:52] question: What is the possibility of importing crude oil or petroleum
[00:27:55] products from Gulf countries by land and its economic
[00:27:58] feasibility? Three: To what extent does
[00:28:02] the exchange rate intervene in the pricing equation and the mechanism for calculating
[00:28:06] it? The last question: What about the rehabilitation of the
[00:28:10] Rmeilan-Homs refinery oil pipeline? Is there a plan
[00:28:13] for its maintenance and operation? How far
[00:28:16] has the Ministry progressed in this plan? And are there
[00:28:19] alternative internal pipelines
[00:28:58] within the general challenges facing the government. As
[00:29:01] the colleagues have mentioned, we are in a situation that is
[00:29:13] have said,
[00:29:16] regarding the European gas coming from Turkey, even though this question
[00:29:19] is far from our geography here, it actually affects
[00:29:23] Syrian territory and the public interest. There are
[00:29:26] stations that are out of order, and there is
[00:29:29] no regular reception for this
[00:29:33] gas and the presence of meters and
[00:29:36] so on. So what measures have been taken
[00:29:41] issue? The second issue is regarding
[00:29:43] oil
[00:29:47] secondary schools that a decision was issued
[00:29:50] to suspend them. And
[00:29:54] especially since there are some students who are, for example, in their first
[00:29:57] or second year, so I request from the
[00:30:03] from the minister, to postpone
[00:30:06] the implementation of this decision for two years so that the student who
[00:30:08] is in, for example, the first or second secondary year,
[00:30:12] can complete this study so that it does not
[00:30:15] waste. The third matter, as one of the
[00:30:18] alternatives and preferences to fossil
[00:30:21] fuels, we request from
[00:30:24] His Excellency the Minister to brief us on the studies
[00:30:28] and plans for building new dams at
[00:30:31] the level of the issue. Meaning, our ability as
[00:30:34] Syria to exploit this in terms
[00:30:52] that regarding the distinction between
[00:30:56] petroleum products
[00:31:00] the citizen as priorities and addressing
[00:31:04] the citizen's needs, for example.