SYRIATV — broadcast
20261102 053000 UTC
455 transcript segments
Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking
Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive.
Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record.

[00:00:00] health regarding narcotic drugs. This is also an important issue, starting
[00:00:03] from the import of this substance to its distribution to the patient, ensuring
[00:00:07] there is a precise mechanism to ensure that
[00:00:10] the invoice, or rather, the prescription, is accurately
[00:00:14] to this recorded in special tables and the invoice is for a one-time use, as I mentioned, for identifying
[00:00:16] this person. There is also a very precise mechanism that is also related to the Ministry of Health,
[00:00:20] because the drug law, as I said,
[00:00:24] TV. In fact, this has a fundamental and essential relationship with the Ministry of Health. There are
[00:00:28] many issues related to this law.
[00:00:30] Of course, the mechanism of combating it.
[00:00:33] There is also a very important matter in this regard, which is
[00:00:36] how to deal with, as I said, drug
[00:00:40] violations, which is a technical task, it is a professional task. It is not only
[00:00:43] a criminal act or a prosecution. There are technical matters that confirm this
[00:00:47] narcotic substance, its type. Of course, analyses are conducted
[00:00:50] for the person if this
[00:00:52] substance
[00:00:55] that is suspected to be an addict, for example, or a user. This substance is analyzed in
[00:00:58] their blood so that any person is referred to
[00:01:02] the supervising court or the criminal court. I mean, we are talking
[00:01:06] now, of course, about everything mentioned is all crimes that carry the description of
[00:01:09] a felony, judged by the criminal court. The narcotic substance must be seized,
[00:01:12] meaning when the person is referred, whether they are a user
[00:01:16] or a dealer, this substance is seized, and analyses are performed on it. There will
[00:01:20] be reports attached to this substance. This substance is referred to the
[00:01:23] obstacles, there are many criminal court to reach
[00:01:25] year. Unfortunately, it was delayed. So, is Syria's removal from not only the seizure of the shipment, but also the complete dismantling of the system
[00:01:29] and reaching the truth. Thank you very
[00:01:30] but the important thing is much, my guest Ghiath Dabour, lawyer and human rights activist,
[00:01:34] who was with us from Damascus. I also thank Basil Shabib,
[00:01:38] security expert, who was with us from Damascus, and Rana Sabbagh, investigative
[00:01:41] journalist from Amman. Thank you very much, my dear
[00:01:44] guests.
[00:01:47] the doors for that We continue with you, viewers, in Syria today, and after
[00:01:49] the break, we will discuss efforts to re-establish Syria's connection to the European banking
[00:01:53] system and preparations to delist Syria from the gray list
[00:01:57] for money
[00:01:58] governance and legislation in laundering.
[00:02:02] Transparency in data, transparency in Syria Radio
[00:02:06] with you wherever
[00:02:08] international banks in an atmosphere of you are. From Damascus
[00:02:11] Questions that do not shy away from to Aleppo, from
[00:02:14] and do not compromise on the coast to Al-Jazeera,
[00:02:17] the voice of Syria accompanies you wherever
[00:02:20] you are. Radio Syria TV
[00:02:23] on the unified frequency 99 FM
[00:02:26] in all Syrian cities and governorates.
[00:02:30] We accompany you with accurate news and diverse
[00:02:33] programs 24 hours a day. Radio
[00:02:37] Syria TV, your voice wherever
[00:02:41] integration or this you are.
[00:03:45] was affected at this
[00:03:53] difficult,
[00:03:55] European banks in
[00:03:58] banks? In
[00:04:02] The Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Safwan Raslan, held a series
[00:04:05] of meetings with representatives from international and European financial
[00:04:09] institutions and banks to develop
[00:04:12] salaries in banking relations during his first official visit to the French capital,
[00:04:14] Paris. The Central Bank of Syria said that Raslan discussed
[00:04:18] ways to reconnect Syria to the European banking system
[00:04:22] an important detail. We are a country open to and enhance financial cooperation and expand the network of correspondent banks
[00:04:25] and facilitate trade financing, in addition to
[00:04:28] developing payment channels and international transfers.
[00:04:31] For its part, the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism
[00:04:35] Financing Authority stated that the mutual evaluation of the
[00:04:39] trust and moving from the gray anti-money laundering system in Syria will begin mid-
[00:04:42] next year as part of the procedural and preparatory steps
[00:04:45] to consider delisting Syria from the gray list,
[00:04:49] confirming that Syria is working diligently to
[00:04:52] implement all recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force
[00:04:55] and its standards.
[00:05:02] Regarding this topic, I welcome my guest from Damascus, Dr. Khaled Al-Hamdi,
[00:05:06] expert in economic planning, and I also welcome Muhammad Al-Alabi,
[00:05:11] on the grey economic researcher, with us from Freiburg. Welcome to you both. I will start with you, Dr. Khaled,
[00:05:15] to talk about these efforts to reconnect Syria
[00:05:18] to the European banking system. What does the
[00:05:22] Syrian banking system actually need in practice to return
[00:05:27] system?
[00:05:30] Good evening, Dima, and our dear guest
[00:05:33] and viewers of Syria
[00:05:37] is a step towards building the Syrian economy.
[00:05:40] We know that banks are the artery
[00:05:43] of the economic body. Without banks, the economic
[00:05:46] body will suffocate
[00:05:50] completely. The
[00:05:53] banks need everything. We need to reorder
[00:05:56] the internal banking system,
[00:05:59] and this has been worked on for about eight months.
[00:06:02] And France has a big role in
[00:06:05] strengthening the
[00:06:09] transformation and transition of the banking situation to a situation
[00:06:13] that is closer to ideal, despite
[00:06:16] the difficult circumstances of the Syrian banking situation.
[00:06:19] This visit is not a ceremonial
[00:06:22] visit or an official visit, but rather
[00:06:25] a visit for the transition
[00:06:27] of Syria to global
[00:06:31] integration, even if reluctantly. There are many
[00:06:36] shortcomings, but work is being done to restore
[00:06:39] the internal banking system in Syria.
[00:06:42] Therefore, it is part of the mosaic of building the Syrian
[00:06:46] economic network entirely. Today,
[00:06:49] we need programs, we need economic
[00:06:53] analysis, we need integration
[00:06:55] with global markets with global banks.
[00:06:59] The visit was, in fact, I followed this
[00:07:02] visit from beginning to end. In fact, all the basics
[00:07:06] very operational, linked
[00:07:10] to developing institutional work. There were major meetings
[00:07:14] with very large banks in France. We
[00:07:16] are talking about France Bank, we are talking about the Bank of France.
[00:07:20] Of course, this visit
[00:07:23] has been prepared for since July, and it was prepared for
[00:07:26] when President Macron visited Syria,
[00:07:29] and it was prepared for
[00:07:33] through French training programs
[00:07:36] to reach this situation. Today, in Syria, we
[00:07:39] need to rebuild everything.
[00:07:43] related to banking work, we need them in Syria.
[00:07:45] And has the
[00:07:49] technical, operational, and regulatory infrastructure that allows for this
[00:07:54] merging
[00:07:56] been completed? In fact, it's not ideal, but it's being worked on.
[00:08:00] I mean, it's not necessary for this visit to solve all problems
[00:08:04] for us to have an economic reality. Today, this
[00:08:07] visit is very important. It's a step towards
[00:08:10] putting Syria on the right global economic banking
[00:08:14] path. Today, any bank, any
[00:08:17] European bank, or French
[00:08:20] or international bank, does not only look at the Central Bank
[00:08:24] of Syria. Any bank in Syria is under the microscope.
[00:08:28] There is monitoring of these
[00:08:30] banks, auditing their data.
[00:08:34] These banks, madam, look at the issue of money laundering, smuggling
[00:08:38] or financing terrorism
[00:08:42] with caution. Therefore, we in Syria need everything,
[00:08:45] but this visit is very important. Yes. So, how do you read
[00:08:48] that, Mr. Muhammad? What really
[00:08:52] distinguishes this visit, as my guest mentioned a moment ago,
[00:08:55] that it is not a fleeting visit, and it is
[00:08:58] important for Syria's transition to global integration? What are the chances
[00:09:02] of actually regaining banking trust, and what is the reason for this hesitation from
[00:09:07] dealing with Syrian
[00:09:25] about, I mean, major meetings with major banks
[00:09:29] in France, I think there is only the French Central
[00:09:32] Bank. The rest are all Arab banks, I mean,
[00:09:36] essentially French or European banks, their names
[00:09:39] are written in French and in English,
[00:09:43] but they are not French or English
[00:09:45] banks.
[00:09:48] I mean, I want to give an example: الخليجي فرنسا
[00:09:51] Bank France Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank,
[00:09:55] these are all Arab banks, I mean, in the end.
[00:09:58] So, it is necessary to talk about this
[00:10:01] because we must
[00:10:05] know that until now, European
[00:10:09] banks and the European banking system, and the global
[00:10:11] banking system in general, are still hesitant
[00:10:15] to deal with the Syrian banking sector. And the reasons here are multiple.
[00:10:18] I mean, there is something related to Syria's classification
[00:10:23] list of the Financial Action Task
[00:10:26] Force (FATF), and this is,
[00:10:29] I think, a problem that requires long and continuous work.
[00:10:32] The first steps will probably begin in the middle of
[00:10:35] next year, and it will be, I mean, a technical
[00:10:39] process that takes a long time to build the appropriate
[00:10:42] infrastructure for it, such
[00:10:45] as Know Your Customer, I mean, know your customer, because the bank in Europe,
[00:10:49] to simplify it for the viewers, when the bank in Europe wants to transfer
[00:10:53] 10 million dollars to Syria, for example,
[00:10:56] it wants the Syrian bank, the bank in
[00:10:59] Syria, to tell it exactly
[00:11:02] who the beneficiary is, who will receive this
[00:11:06] money. Does their income and work,
[00:11:09] their profession, qualify them to receive this large
[00:11:11] amount?
[00:11:14] Will it be a suspicious deal
[00:11:17] in which the last beneficiary,
[00:11:20] I mean, the beneficial
[00:11:24] owner behind the final beneficiary of this
[00:11:27] transaction, be a sanctioned person, for example, because we still have
[00:11:31] sanctioned people in Syria. So, this is the infrastructure
[00:11:34] that, until it is available, Mrs. Dima, we
[00:11:38] are forced to work for a long time, it could
[00:11:41] take two years. But in my opinion,
[00:11:45] it was very necessary to start this process in the first
[00:11:50] the gray list enough to restore the trust of European banks? No, no,
[00:11:55] I was going to add this as well.
[00:11:58] It's not enough, so we don't deceive the viewers
[00:12:02] as happened in the beginning, that people thought that
[00:12:06] sanctions were the only obstacle.
[00:12:08] No, sanctions are not the obstacle, and the gray list is not the only
[00:12:12] obstacle. Many countries were on the gray list and had a banking
[00:12:15] system that operated at the minimum level. The main
[00:12:18] obstacle, in my opinion, Ms. Dima, is
[00:12:23] Syria. I mean, we have a monetary
[00:12:26] system, a system for managing cash in Syria, which is
[00:12:30] the basic monetary system or law, I mean, the currency
[00:12:33] and credit law needs to be reviewed.
[00:12:36] In this, and this means
[00:12:40] that the work of the Central Bank is intertwined
[00:12:43] with the People's Assembly because this law needs
[00:12:46] amendment. There are other
[00:12:49] matters related to the governance of banks themselves because
[00:12:53] the governance of banks,
[00:12:56] the conditions for licensing
[00:12:57] banks, the minimum limits
[00:13:01] for bank assets, these are all matters
[00:13:05] that require review, in addition
[00:13:08] to
[00:13:11] the informal transfer channels. This is unsolvable, I mean,
[00:13:14] because the cash economy is an enemy. Why are we talking about why
[00:13:18] these informal channels are still in place? What prevents
[00:13:21] them from being officially recognized
[00:13:25] like in all countries?
[00:13:28] In reality, it's a very long and heavy legacy,
[00:13:31] from sanctions to a dilapidated banking sector.
[00:13:35] In the beginning, it was a government banking sector, I mean, during
[00:13:39] the time of Assad the father, then
[00:13:41] during the era of Bashar, I mean, during
[00:13:45] the era of
[00:13:48] the Far, it opened up a bit, and there were
[00:13:51] private banks, but they also remained restricted in many
[00:13:56] of their operations. They used Lebanon as an external platform
[00:14:00] in many cases, and then when
[00:14:03] the Lebanese banking system collapsed in 2019,
[00:14:07] Syria as a whole
[00:14:10] level, and the reliance on
[00:14:13] informal transfer methods increased and became an essential part of the economy. It became
[00:14:18] very difficult to get out of it,
[00:14:22] but one of the biggest problems is that the government is not giving
[00:14:25] real signals to restore confidence in the banking
[00:14:29] sector. And the most important signal, Ms. Dima, the most important signal
[00:14:33] is the re-payment of salaries, localizing
[00:14:37] public and private banks. I mean,
[00:14:41] there is no justification
[00:14:44] for us to continue localizing salaries
[00:14:47] through
[00:14:49] an electronic payment method that is not guaranteed
[00:14:53] and not licensed and has no sponsoring bank.
[00:14:56] So, what is your opinion, Mr. Khaled, on that,
[00:15:00] on the issue of exiting
[00:15:03] list? Is it really not enough to restore,
[00:15:07] as my guest mentioned, the issue of trust
[00:15:10] for European banks, and there are several facts
[00:15:14] and several factors related to re-paying salaries and also
[00:15:17] governance in legislation in Syria needs review?
[00:15:20] To what extent is there really time for the relevant
[00:15:24] authorities to complete these tasks
[00:15:27] based on the allowed period before mid-
[00:15:30] next year?
[00:15:34] Yes, in fact, today, what is required of the Syrian
[00:15:38] government and those responsible for the banking situation, whether it is the Central Bank
[00:15:42] of Syria or those in charge of the economic
[00:15:44] situation in Syria today, is to update
[00:15:47] legislation. Madam, during
[00:15:51] the days of the defunct Ba'ath regime, if
[00:15:54] someone sent a transfer to, I mean, someone sent a
[00:15:57] transfer to their parents, the family would be subjected
[00:16:00] to an investigation that could last for months. So we are talking about a banking
[00:16:03] situation that did not exist. It was only to serve
[00:16:08] the Assad regime.
[00:16:10] What we are doing today in Syria and what the Syrian
[00:16:13] government is doing, I mean, with truly commendable
[00:16:17] efforts, despite the pressure,
[00:16:19] but there are shortcomings. In fact, today we
[00:16:23] lack updated legislation, and this issue
[00:16:25] is
[00:16:32] there is no obstacle to the People's Assembly, which has only met
[00:16:36] a few weeks ago.
[00:16:47] We must pay attention to activating correspondent banks, and this
[00:16:50] is a very important step because it is important for investors. We must
[00:16:54] enhance confidence in the banking situation
[00:16:57] and localize localize funds in banks
[00:17:00] and enhance the profit rates in these banks
[00:17:04] because they encourage citizens to localize
[00:17:08] funds to develop payment
[00:17:11] systems and international transfers. Mr. Khaled, what is the required
[00:17:15] action today to effectively develop international payment
[00:17:18] and transfer systems? Expanding the network
[00:17:20] of banks to effectively restore full confidence
[00:17:24] in European banks?
[00:17:27] We, Dima, we need to strengthen
[00:17:30] the independence of monetary policy in
[00:17:33] Syria. Today, we need absolute transparency.
[00:17:40] supervision, and also restoring relations with
[00:17:45] trust. Banks are not just treasuries
[00:17:48] for money; they are treasuries for trust. If foreign
[00:17:52] banks lose trust in the Syrian
[00:17:54] bank, that will have a catastrophic
[00:17:57] impact. The situation today is not ideal,
[00:18:00] but efforts are being made to
[00:18:04] put the banking situation in Syria on the right track.
[00:18:08] And I appeared on the honorable Syria TV a few
[00:18:11] months ago, and we talked about the European mission that
[00:18:15] is training, developing, and assisting, which is a technical committee.
[00:18:19] The employees at the Central Bank
[00:18:24] are working on financial analysis
[00:18:27] policy, risk management
[00:18:30] and advanced programs
[00:18:34] developed countries. What the Syrian
[00:18:36] state is doing is within reality and capabilities.
[00:18:40] I mean, in my opinion, today we must
[00:18:43] encourage any step taken by the Syrian state. Going back to your
[00:18:46] question regarding,
[00:18:51] the gray list,
[00:18:54] mean the removal of all sanctions or
[00:18:57] obstacles, but it is a step in the right direction.
[00:19:00] And by the way, the FATF
[00:19:03] organization, or the FATF, it
[00:19:07] has two types of lists: black lists and gray lists.
[00:19:10] Gray lists are less severe than black
[00:19:14] lists. I mean, in other words,
[00:19:17] with some reforms, with transparency from the Syrian
[00:19:21] government, the removal will happen, and the removal will be
[00:19:25] around 2027, but it is
[00:19:28] not everything, as our friend Muhammad mentioned.
[00:19:32] Of course, it is part of the solution,
[00:19:35] but the visit of Mr.
[00:19:38] Safwat to France, I expect it
[00:19:41] will facilitate banking transfers and improve
[00:19:45] the speed of transfers and reduce the costs of banking
[00:19:48] intermediation. Every single part of these
[00:19:52] parts will reflect on the Syrian citizen and reflect on the Syrian state
[00:19:56] and, I mean, there is also
[00:19:59] trade, trade financing, documentary
[00:20:02] credits, I mean, bank
[00:20:05] guarantees and
[00:20:07] documents and financing exports, financing
[00:20:10] imports, all of these are important. But in my opinion,
[00:20:14] strengthening trust, strengthening
[00:20:17] theoretical talk and beautiful and pleasant
[00:20:20] meetings to practical
[00:20:23] work, this is what we want in Syria. Today, in Syria, we
[00:20:26] need absolute transparency, we need to start working,
[00:20:30] I mean, for the Syrian citizen to feel the impact of these meetings and these
[00:20:33] decisions on their daily life.
[00:20:40] To feel this, we need no less
[00:20:43] than, I mean, between two to three years for
[00:20:47] the Syrian citizen to feel the situation.
[00:20:58] To what extent can we, Mr. Al-Alabi, actually differentiate between
[00:21:01] Syria's inclusion on the gray list and the difference between
[00:21:05] the gray list and the black
[00:21:07] list? Mr. Muhammad, if you can hear me, regarding
[00:21:11] separating the file of combating terrorism or money
[00:21:14] laundering from the file of sanctions, how can we distinguish
[00:21:17] between them today?
[00:21:19] No, combating money laundering and terrorism financing is
[00:21:23] an ongoing process. I mean, in all countries of the world, it is
[00:21:26] an ongoing process. Syria is on the gray list, and of course,
[00:21:30] there are annual meetings where delegations from the FATF,
[00:21:33] from the Financial Action Task Force, come to Damascus
[00:21:37] and conduct assessments.
[00:21:39] There are also employees who remain in Damascus,
[00:21:43] appointed by the FATF itself, who then
[00:21:46] monitor the extent of banks' compliance.
[00:21:50] How many cases are being transferred to the judiciary,
[00:21:53] how many cases are being uncovered,
[00:21:56] when is the Governor of the Central
[00:22:00] Bank intervening in his senior capacity as
[00:22:03] the head of the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism
[00:22:06] Financing Authority? There might be other requests later
[00:22:10] to amend the structure of this authority. So these are all
[00:22:14] technical matters. We don't want to confuse the viewers
[00:22:17] too much with them,
[00:22:20] to differentiate between sanctions and banking
[00:22:24] supervision. Banking supervision is an ongoing
[00:22:27] and permanent process, and we need it because
[00:22:30] when there is no banking supervision in a country, then
[00:22:33] we are opening
[00:22:37] country to be
[00:22:39] a place for tax evasion, for drug
[00:22:42] money, for terrorist money, for arms
[00:22:46] dealers' money. So these are harmful funds.
[00:22:50] Absolutely harmful funds because they do not come for a noble purpose. They come
[00:22:53] to be laundered in Syria, and this
[00:22:57] destroys the economy. So,
[00:23:00] during the past two years, unfortunately, we have a very big deficiency
[00:23:04] in performance. I do not know, in fact,
[00:23:08] the competence of the
[00:23:11] existing team to manage this process.
[00:23:15] We are talking about the arrival
[00:23:19] of the FATF, the Financial Action Task Force, in mid-2027. I mean, from
[00:23:22] then on, evaluations will begin.
[00:23:25] So, I believe Syria
[00:23:28] has started. So, during this period,
[00:23:31] during the coming months, what must Syria achieve
[00:23:35] for these European meetings to turn
[00:23:38] into actual agreements on the
[00:23:40] ground?
[00:23:43] Mrs. Dima, look,
[00:23:46] everyone in Syria, unfortunately, has
[00:23:50] and, by the way, this is part of the media discourse that misled
[00:23:54] many
[00:23:56] people. People have the idea that the West and abroad must approve
[00:23:59] of us. No, that's not the idea. They must trust
[00:24:03] us. No, that's not the idea. First, we,
[00:24:06] as banks, as the Syrian banking sector, must regain the trust of the Syrian
[00:24:10] citizen. I mean, this comes first,
[00:24:14] because no one will trust you abroad if your citizen doesn't trust
[00:24:18] you. Do you understand? Aha.
[00:24:20] The first step that must be taken is to regain the trust of the Syrian
[00:24:24] citizen. I mean, how can I, as a citizen,
[00:24:27] go to the bank and deposit money, and I am confident that
[00:24:31] tomorrow a decision will not be issued that prevents me from withdrawing my money from the bank
[00:24:34] and freezes liquidity? Therefore, it is
[00:24:38] based. I mean,
[00:24:41] why does the state, why does the government, why do the official
[00:24:44] institutions transfer the salaries of their employees
[00:24:47] through transfer methods that are not licensed,
[00:24:51] while there are banks in the country, there are public banks and there are private banks? Yes.
[00:24:55] I mean, these are the signals
[00:24:58] that will restore the confidence of citizens in the banking
[00:25:02] sector. Then we have
[00:25:05] these meetings that we are working on, and also
[00:25:08] the paths that we are working on with the World Bank, with the International Monetary Fund, with
[00:25:12] international institutions, and donors. We must
[00:25:14] start bringing funding for this public banking sector, both its
[00:25:18] public and private parts. I mean, we must start bringing
[00:25:21] our private investors and bring and bring for the public also so that the banking
[00:25:25] sector can play its fundamental role, which is
[00:25:28] lending. Thank you. Thank you very much, Muhammad Al-Alabi, economic
[00:25:32] researcher, who was with us from Freiburg. Thank you very much.
[00:25:35] And Dr. Khaled Al-Hamdi, expert in economic
[00:25:38] planning, who was with us from Damascus. Thank you
[00:25:41] very much. Viewers, we have reached the end of this episode of Syria
[00:25:45] Today. Goodbye and may God
[00:25:46] keep you safe.
[00:28:35] And Syrians now have a country. We are in
[00:28:38] its center.
[00:28:40] In
[00:28:44] a country that lived oppression, injustice, displacement,
[00:28:47] and war, but it revolted until
[00:28:51] it triumphed. In a country where
[00:28:55] narratives vary and discourses
[00:28:57] contradict.
[00:29:02] Dialogues and debates
[00:29:12] about
[00:29:12] the most
[00:29:17] important and most
[00:29:19] complex issues
[00:29:23] until we meet at a point
[00:29:25] that unites us
[00:29:27] in the city center on Syria TV
[00:29:31] and the second channel.
[00:30:24] Good morning, news bulletin from Syria TV. We begin
[00:30:27] with the headlines.
[00:30:31] The main road between Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor at Khneifis bridge, east of
[00:30:34] Raqqa, is cut off due to
[00:30:35] floods.
[00:30:39] The Borders and Customs Authority announces the thwarting of a drug
[00:30:42] smuggling attempt through the Jiser Qamar border crossing with
[00:30:46] Lebanon.
[00:30:50] Internal Security announces the arrest of a cell belonging to the organization.