Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00whose condition is somewhat acceptable, and we have some in Adra and the remaining warehouses in
00:00:03the Aleppo countryside, in Khan Touman,
00:00:08Honestly, 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
00:00:10well. The warehouses in Idlib, which were in Kafr Battikh,
00:00:15of oil and gas in are all completely destroyed and cannot be used.
00:00:18Many tanks and warehouses need to be rebuilt and
00:00:21a set of questions from rehabilitated. We started rehabilitating a part of them, but
00:00:25the investment budgets, as we said, cannot cover everything. Today we have
00:00:30plan 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
00:00:34one year, and we will redo everything. But if
00:00:37the Ministry of Finance is demanding that we raise
00:00:40salaries and wages, and we have investment projects, and you are a very large part of these
00:00:44matters as a
00:00:47In fact, today's session oil company, they won't give us a single day's patience.
00:00:49Regarding financial transfers, as we mentioned, we used to give them
00:00:51gas, we need a long 250 million dollars every month after
00:00:54might reach half we had oil, 250 million dollars. All of this
00:00:58contributed to increasing salaries.
00:01:00If they would just leave us with them for, not a year, but four or five months, a billion
00:01:03dollars, we could create a reserve and storage and tanks and supply lines, it would be
00:01:07such as government companies and other fine. But unfortunately, the state also has its priorities, and spending is not
00:01:12the minister answered some points my responsibility. I submit a plan. For example, some brothers mentioned
00:01:15needs. And he summarized all this some investment projects for water stations that Mr. Al-Rassafi mentioned,
00:01:19and others. We are submitting these stations. For example, in the
00:01:22investment budget, we are submitting five sewage treatment plants in each
00:01:26governorate for the sewage that is going into the rivers and the sea.
00:01:30The sewage from Latakia and Tartous is going into the sea, and in Deir ez-Zor it is going into
00:01:33the Euphrates, and in Idlib it is going into the Orontes, and in Hama it is going into the Orontes.
00:01:36So we initially submitted five stations. We need your support
00:01:39tomorrow in approving the budgets. Brother, let's make this a priority. This is
00:01:43And this does not a priority. If they don't approve the budget for five
00:01:46sewage treatment plants, we will have to
00:01:49postpone this problem to
00:01:52to enrich the discussion with next year. So we submitted in each governorate a minimum of five sewage treatment
00:01:55plants. Also, oil and gas protection lines and continuity
00:01:59of supply. We have had 22 attacks on oil lines, and honestly, we
00:02:02also ask you, God willing, tomorrow, once the projects are submitted to you,
00:02:07because it has proven its failure in many and we have submitted projects. This is one of the questions that we will answer now.
00:02:10We submitted a draft water legislation law to the General Secretariat recently,
00:02:13and we have included, honestly, somewhat
00:02:16the 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
00:02:20we confiscate the drilling rig, especially in Daraa, where the situation is very
00:02:24difficult in terms of water. It is very difficult. We are making great efforts to prevent
00:02:27violations and encroachments and to secure
00:02:32members, and they were following drinking water, and encroachments on drinking water are very easy and simple for them
00:02:34because the offender goes and pays a few liras and leaves,
00:02:38or the same thing applies to electricity. Our electricity line from Deir Ali power station to
00:02:42Adra
00:02:44or requests for further cost us about 4 million Syrian pounds.
00:02:47In two days, just on the holiday, Thursday,
00:02:51they cut the electricity and stole it. The Ministry of Interior investigated them later,
00:02:54caught them, and so on, but there are no
00:02:56by 1.2 million cars in deterrent penalties. We also need deterrent legislation for penalties.
00:03:01It cost us and cut off electricity to a large part of the region, and it cost us, and he probably
00:03:05sold it for 200, 300,000, this aluminum
00:03:08oil 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
00:03:11months. It's a crime. He has a smelting factory where he makes ingots and so on.
00:03:15The internal security forces, thank them, raided him and arrested him,
00:03:19and then they are referred to the judiciary, fined, and so on. They themselves return after
00:03:21oil derivatives, as we mentioned, for a while, they return and do this again. This requires deterrent penalties
00:03:25and expanding participation with from legislation. We need legislation from the
00:03:28People's Assembly to be deterrent for all these violations on
00:03:32electricity, water, and oil. Environmental
00:03:35safety. We also have the treatment of the effects of the war by stopping primitive
00:03:38burners, which was a very big problem. We talked about the cancers that
00:03:42spread in the region. The region had a black cloud from
00:03:46involving private companies in these burners. These burners are a primitive and economically
00:03:54Although 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
00:03:57to take it. But when the matter is only with the refineries, if crude oil is stolen, what
00:04:03Syria. This will they do with it? They stop stealing. In addition to our work, we conducted a radiological
00:04:07the session." But time, in fact, survey and monitoring in cooperation with the talk, perhaps some Atomic Energy Commission, and we removed mines around
00:04:10for an hour and a half the main sites in cooperation with the concerned authorities. We signed
00:04:13many memorandums of understanding for
00:04:16a response? Did you feel a response with gas and oil exploration in the sea. We signed with major companies. Some say that we
00:04:20can go towards tenders, which is one of the most important
00:04:24ways to contract. However, there are some matters
00:04:29Sorry, did he give us any that we call political orientation of the state in concluding some contracts.
00:04:32For example, today, contracting with Chevron
00:04:34(an American company),
00:04:3731 Syrian pounds is for this Chevron has its history, or Eni (the Italian company), or
00:04:39ConocoPhillips. Some
00:04:43This is companies have their weight in the global market in oil and gas.
00:04:45based on the latest prices in One of the Arab energy ministers told me, "If
00:04:48Chevron and Conoco come to you, you will open the doors to all
00:04:51in the street improves, companies." Honestly, he mentioned that there are major
00:04:54global leading companies in
00:04:57oil and gas that are valuable
00:05:00in their entry into the Syrian market, provided that the contracts are fair
00:05:03between us and them, and not unfair, nor
00:05:07The Minister of Energy spoke on a number of also, as you see. We have made a memorandum of understanding, and we are
00:05:11in the process of converting it into a contract, and negotiations are
00:05:14at their peak with Conoco regarding percentages and so on. Therefore,
00:05:19companies that were there. For example, in some cases,
00:05:22it is necessary, and it obliges and forces the ministry
00:05:26to enter into direct negotiations, for
00:05:29example, for oil derivatives, which we just
00:05:33mentioned. If today I can't even find it in the market, then if a
00:05:37company comes and says, "I have an oil product at such and such a price, lower than the global market," I might
00:05:40go for a direct contract to secure this material. We don't leave people without
00:05:44diesel and gasoline just to hold a tender that takes several days.
00:05:48And the principle is, after stability and
00:05:51sustainability in the sector and the end of the crisis, we return to where we started
00:05:55with tenders. I don't know if anyone is aware, but when
00:05:59the ministry was first established, all crude oil purchases were done through tenders, but there was no crisis. Today,
00:06:02the matter is different. Companies are submitting price offers, and this
00:06:06is one of the contracting methods that the contracts law
00:06:09has regulated for us. It has allowed us to use
00:06:13price offers, to obtain price offers. It has also allowed us to use direct contracts in some
00:06:17exceptional cases, exceptional
00:06:21circumstances. Okay, partnerships and investment in
00:06:24areas. We mentioned that we have partnerships with ConocoPhillips, we have partnerships with
00:06:28Chevron, we also have with Total (the French Total), which is one of the giant
00:06:31and large companies in the energy sector, and we also have a partnership
00:06:35with Qatar Energy regarding
00:06:38gas exploration. We have some partnerships with regional
00:06:41companies like Adnoc, Kuwait Drilling Company, and UC,
00:06:45which entered the generation sector, which we will mention
00:06:48later. So, New Syria, transitioning from a socialist
00:06:52economic system to a free economic system.
00:06:55mean that I chose this path. The state's
00:06:59leadership, the state presidency, the
00:07:02Syrian government chose to
00:07:05transition from the socialist economic system to
00:07:08the market economy and free economy. And this I think
00:07:12most of those present agree that this is a necessary and very
00:07:16important step to build the economy of New Syria
00:07:19countries. And this stage, I say this stage that we are
00:07:23going through today, with some high prices and some lifting of subsidies on
00:07:27some services or reducing subsidies, not lifting but reducing subsidies on some services,
00:07:30this is a normal situation. If we read a little about the history
00:07:34of countries that transitioned from this system to this system, if we went to
00:07:37Poland, to the Czech Republic, to Georgia, to Estonia, they went through this
00:07:40stage in 1980. 93, they went through this stage, which is
00:07:44the transition from the socialist system. There was poverty, even though
00:07:48there was a decrease in the income rate. Our income rate increased
00:07:51by 550% in salary increases,
00:07:55not to mention the qualitative increases that occurred for health, higher education,
00:07:58education, inspection, justice, judiciary,
00:08:02and so on. These increases are actually not something we are behind, but
00:08:06we are an important part of them. The increases in wages and investment projects that
00:08:09are being implemented by the Syrian Petroleum Company are an important part of the state's
00:08:13revenues. 250 million, as we said,
00:08:16monthly is a source for the treasury that contributed to these
00:08:20increases and these measures and the existing investment projects.
00:08:24Regarding the price setting committee, we were also asked about it.
00:08:28Mr. President, we are not only answering questions in the presentation,
00:08:31but also generally the questions that the esteemed
00:08:35members of parliament may have raised. A decision was made to form a committee
00:08:39to set prices. This decision includes all concerned parties. We have
00:08:42the Ministry of Economy, we have the Central Bank, we have the Ministry
00:08:46of Finance, we have Geology, we have the Energy Services Administration,
00:08:49we have the Syrian Petroleum Company. This is for them to set a pricing
00:08:53policy and submit it to us, and God willing, we will provide you with it. The mechanism
00:08:56for pricing oil derivatives. How is the pricing equation that
00:08:59one of the fellow MPs asked about? First, we have
00:09:04price is known. We have platforms for the prices
00:09:07of oil derivatives and crude oil. Then comes the import premium
00:09:11and the price of the material
00:09:14and customs duties and profit margins
00:09:18and transportation costs and storage costs and administrative expenses and renewable energy fees
00:09:22and car registration fees. All these are fees on it.
00:09:25Then there are profit margins. Originally, these were profit margins, but now they are all
00:09:29loss margins because today one liter of diesel at global prices
00:09:32is 1570 dollars. The last deal we bought, one liter of diesel
00:09:35cost us 206 Syrian pounds. One liter of diesel
00:09:39costs the ministry 260. The company sells
00:09:42it for 175, as we determined. So, it's a loss of 31 Syrian
00:09:46pounds per liter after the price increase. This
00:09:49diesel after the price increase. Its cost
00:09:53is 206 Syrian pounds.
00:09:57the market. After equating these prices, there are no profits here. I'm saying it costs us
00:10:01206.
00:10:04This is the stock exchange price of 1590.
00:10:08Of course, we bought the last one at 1570. Now it's 1590. Go back
00:10:12to the platforms. We can provide you with the indicators of global markets.
00:10:15Fees and wages: 250. Final cost: 1840.
00:10:19One ton of diesel is 1200 liters. If we divide
00:10:221840 by 1200, it comes out to
00:10:251.53 dollars per liter. If we
00:10:29multiply that by the exchange rate of 135 today,
00:10:32it comes out to 206 Syrian pounds, which is what we estimated
00:10:36at 100 and 175.
00:10:38The difference is 31, not 29. It's written as 29.
00:10:4131 Syrian pounds difference
00:10:44in price
00:10:47between imported
00:10:50diesel and our pricing of it in the market. The strategic
00:10:55oil production, and the optimal solution is to increase Syria's production. We have a plan
00:10:59to increase production, God willing, we will provide you with it, God willing. We will provide
00:11:03the esteemed council with the production plan. Of course,
00:11:05if things go as we plan, and we don't have any emergencies, God
00:11:09willing, within the year 2028, we will achieve self-sufficiency in oil,
00:11:12okay? In 2028, but for
00:11:16time. For gas, we
00:11:19of our needs by the end of 2030, but with
00:11:23the development of offshore production. Of course,
00:11:25the sea needs seven years. So when we talk about gas exploration in the sea,
00:11:29some people might say, "Okay, we signed with Chevron,
00:11:33and with Total, and with Qatar Energy, and with Eni, and with..."
00:11:36and so on. "So where is the gas production?" It needs seven years
00:11:40for the gas to enter the energy sector. This is a very
00:11:44complex issue. Even at the level of turbines, electricity is reserved in factories.
00:11:48We'll talk about electricity later. It's reserved in Siemens and Ansaldo factories. There are four
00:11:51limited companies that manufacture turbines, and those who are
00:11:55familiar with the energy sector know Siemens, Ansaldo, GE, and Mitsubishi. These
00:11:58manufacture turbines. The purchase of turbines is reserved until
00:12:022033, 2034, and 2035. No,
00:12:05thankfully, through our partnership with UC, we will have them ready by
00:12:082029. They will be coming because they were pre-purchased from the companies.
00:12:11So we went into a contract with them to build power plants. Refinery
00:12:14development. We were asked about the refineries. God willing, yesterday,
00:12:18Friday, we had a team outside
00:12:21Syria. A refinery was offered to us for purchase. This
00:12:25is manufactured so that it doesn't take us five years to manufacture.
00:12:28It might take months to install a refinery
00:12:31with a capacity of about
00:12:343,000 to 50,000, and it can be developed.
00:12:37the eastern region in Deir ez-Zor, as
00:12:41the observation, that we put a refinery in the same region instead of transporting
00:12:45oil here, then refining it and transporting derivatives back. No, in the same region, it employs
00:12:48labor, it refines oil derivatives, and we distribute them to the
00:12:52local residents there. We will build a refinery in Homs, in Al-Furqalus. A refinery in Deir
00:12:56ez-Zor, and we are looking for a location in Aleppo because it needs
00:12:59oil, a pipeline reaching it, it needs nearby water,
00:13:02and so on. We are looking for a specific area where we can distribute four
00:13:06or five refineries, each with a capacity of about 5,000 barrels,
00:13:09meaning to cover the market demand along with the Baniyas refinery
00:13:13we have. Also, expanding exploration. We have promising blocks
00:13:17for crude oil and gas, God willing, we will work
00:13:20on, or have started working on, exploring them.
00:13:23Companies. Some companies and contracts are old.
00:13:27Companies invoked force majeure during the revolution in
00:13:302012. Now, force majeure was declared. Today,
00:13:33some have started, like Gulfsands, which returned to the block it had. We contacted the companies,
00:13:37some of them withdrew, and some want to continue in the block
00:13:41they were in. Also, rehabilitating the transportation and storage system. Transporting
00:13:46heavy oil and the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline,
00:13:50the private sector by involving companies in
00:13:53the distribution process. And the storage process. We
00:13:57discussed this a lot within the company and the ministry. This
00:14:00needs, if some have studies or
00:14:04consultations, we will also accept them from them. This is indeed a very
00:14:07sensitive step in this reality for
00:14:11distribution specifically, whether in electricity or oil. But
00:14:15God willing, we are studying it. We will not move forward until we reach
00:14:18a good final formula for the citizen and the company.
00:14:22Attracting new investments and new technology through major global
00:14:26companies. This
00:14:29is regarding the oil and gas sector and oil derivatives.
00:14:32We tried to clarify all the inquiries raised by the esteemed
00:14:36members of parliament. God willing, we may have overlooked some points. We will take the questions again, as mentioned
00:14:39by the President, so that we can answer them and
00:14:43provide you with written answers, God willing. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr.
00:14:46Minister. Let's take a break. The session
00:14:49is until 2:30 sharp, and Mr.
00:14:52Minister will continue with electricity and water. Of course,
00:14:55regarding the time we gave to Mr. Minister, some members, Mr.
00:14:59Minister, received 40 questions from the Energy Committee, so he needs
00:15:03time. The session is adjourned until 2:30.
00:15:06So, dear
00:15:12viewers, this was the
00:15:15session, or the first part of the
00:15:18hearing held by the Syrian People's Assembly for the Minister
00:15:22of Energy, Mohammed. Many
00:15:25concerns regarding the increase in energy derivative prices
00:15:28were discussed.
00:15:32points after receiving a large number of questions from
00:15:36a number of deputies. The questions varied
00:15:39between production costs,
00:15:41between questions related to the Syrian Petroleum Company, and questions related
00:15:45to production operations and the current
00:15:48energy production situation
00:15:52Syrian wells. What are the future plans?
00:15:56There were also
00:15:59the deputies that addressed the transparency
00:16:03in the work of the Ministry of Energy. The Minister certainly
00:16:06spoke about production, numbers, and market needs,
00:16:10as well as measures and the price-setting
00:16:13committee. Perhaps the most prominent thing that
00:16:17the Minister spoke about was that
00:16:20a liter of diesel currently costs the state
00:16:23206 Syrian pounds, while it
00:16:26is sold in the market for 175 pounds,
00:16:29incurring a loss of 11
00:16:32to 30 pounds. A large number of points
00:16:36were addressed by the Minister, who indicated
00:16:40that the Ministry of Energy is one of the most important files
00:16:43due to its direct connection with people's daily needs, as it includes
00:16:47three ministries: Electricity, Water, and Oil
00:16:50and Mineral Resources. He spoke about the
00:16:53challenges facing the energy sector,
00:16:56and that they cannot be underestimated, but at the same
00:17:00time, he said that he knows what
00:17:03the available capabilities are, and that the ministry's
00:17:07vision is based on supporting economic development and
00:17:11enhancing the quality of services and reducing the gap between
00:17:15supply and demand, and that
00:17:18the establishment of holding companies does not mean
00:17:21moving towards privatization of the energy
00:17:24sector, but rather these are state-owned companies,
00:17:28and by that, he means the Syrian Petroleum Company, and also
00:17:31the Syrian Minerals Company, and the companies affiliated
00:17:35with the Ministry of Energy, which are state-owned companies
00:17:38and not private companies. Certainly,
00:17:42he also spoke about the fact that about
00:17:451,000 dismissed employees have returned to work at the Ministry of Energy after
00:17:48submitting return
00:17:52requests. These employees were dismissed, of course, during the
00:17:55Syrian revolution, dismissed due to
00:17:59their affiliation with the Syrian Revolution. 1,000 employees have returned
00:18:02to their jobs. He also stated that the ministry
00:18:06is working to transition from paper-based work to an integrated
00:18:09digital system with the aim of automating transactions and linking
00:18:13entities and databases within the ministry. This is also an important
00:18:16step in the work of the Ministry of Energy.
00:18:20He also
00:18:22pointed out an important point, which is the establishment of a committee to study the reality of reserves
00:18:26and inventories and to prepare a new map for oil and gas in
00:18:29Syria, and that the available information and figures currently
00:18:33are old and
00:18:37outdated regarding
00:18:40energy reserves. He also
00:18:43mentioned that the Minister of Energy stated that many oil
00:18:46wells are temporarily closed to rehabilitate them and restart them,
00:18:50ensuring the safety of citizens. Well, dear viewers,
00:18:53I now welcome Dr. Mosaab Al-Shabib, an expert
00:18:56in the field of energy, with us from Aleppo.
00:18:59Welcome, Dr. Doctor,
00:19:03you certainly listened to this session
00:19:06and watched it. If we want to talk,
00:19:09first, what was the most striking thing
00:19:12that caught your attention in this session, Dr.
00:19:15Mosaab? Greetings, Professor Ahmed, to you
00:19:19and all the esteemed viewers. Firstly, this was a frank
00:19:22and transparent session in every sense of the word.
00:19:25I was writing down the most important points that His Excellency the Minister of Energy
00:19:29was discussing. Indeed, there was a great
00:19:32momentum, even going into the most precise details. In the general
00:19:36context, honestly,
00:19:39the session was frank and clear,
00:19:42even starting with the history of the ministry's establishment and gradually
00:19:46progressing to everything it means. It began by discussing
00:19:50the issue of governance, and this is the basic legal
00:19:53framework that redefines the Ministry
00:19:56of Energy when several institutions or three
00:20:00basic companies were merged: the Syrian Petroleum Company,
00:20:03the Syrian Electricity Company, and the Syrian Water Company.
00:20:08He also focused on the idea that Syria
00:20:11should be, in the future, with all the agreements, a
00:20:15regional center for energy. This
00:20:18also caught my attention, that the ministry is working to
00:20:22ensure that there are economic and
00:20:24energy interconnections. Also,
00:20:28the issue of the General Authority for Water Resources and its work,
00:20:31and also that there should be a real digital transformation. Indeed,
00:20:35what distinguished this session, Professor Ahmed,
00:20:37were the numbers. It was not general talk, it was not rhetorical
00:20:41talk. Indeed, there were clear and
00:20:45specific numbers, percentages.
00:20:48What is the reserve? How much is produced? How much is
00:20:52converted or needed
00:20:55from derivatives? What are the amounts needed by the
00:20:58Ministry of Energy? Indeed, it was,
00:21:01I call it, a session under the microscope.
00:21:04Indeed, it was very clear to the
00:21:08extent that the Speaker of the People's Assembly, due to the abundance of information, requested
00:21:12a break so that all
00:21:14points could be fully
00:21:17addressed. I personally followed the questions,
00:21:21even from the esteemed members. I don't think
00:21:24there was a single question that was posed to His Excellency the Minister of Energy
00:21:28without being answered clearly
00:21:31and explicitly. The concerns were
00:21:35the main issue, I mean, securing foreign currency, converting it to the
00:21:39Central Bank, then selling it in Syrian pounds, and the need for foreign
00:21:42currency again. I believe that these details,
00:21:46which perhaps some citizens, or many citizens,
00:21:50are concerned with, but they actually indicate the
00:21:54extent of the suffering and the great effort exerted by the Ministry
00:21:57of Energy, and the goal of that is
00:22:01to secure these derivatives and supply the market with these
00:22:05by saying that one liter of diesel costs
00:22:09the state an additional 31 new Syrian
00:22:13pounds above the pricing. He also
00:22:16spoke of a roadmap, Mr. Ahmed, meaning he
00:22:20didn't just talk about problems, concerns, and challenges,
00:22:24but there was also a forecast for the future.
00:22:27What are the plans in place? What is the ministry's
00:22:30plan to boost production? How
00:22:33will
00:22:36production be increased? Also, the issue of legislation
00:22:39caught my attention. Indeed, the field is
00:22:42very difficult. He spoke about the issue of mines as well,
00:22:46meaning some might think that the entire region
00:22:50is clear, but if there is a danger, even one mine,
00:22:54in a certain area, it could completely cut off the line
00:22:57or put it out of service. Indeed, all these
00:23:01details, I believe,
00:23:04honestly, were characterized by transparency
00:23:07and clarity, and by
00:23:11genuine governance, even in the
00:23:14way the presentation was delivered. I also noted
00:23:17that the presentation was available to all
00:23:22along with what the Minister of Energy was saying. The entire presentation
00:23:26was available to all members, and this provides feedback, meaning
00:23:29we expect that there will likely be questions
00:23:34clarification. The issue of cars, Professor Ahmed,
00:23:37he also mentioned that in 2025, we will have
00:23:402.5 million cars. In one year, the number increased
00:23:462026. Imagine the
00:23:51pressure, whether on increasing
00:23:54reserves and securing
00:23:58infrastructure. The issue of transit
00:24:01and roads. It's not just a problem of
00:24:04securing derivatives. This morning, indeed, there was
00:24:08a targeting of one of the large
00:24:11refineries in Moscow. The Minister of Energy said this, that
00:24:15indeed, the problem is not just that you secure
00:24:19appropriate supplies and secure contracts, even if they are
00:24:23direct contracts, but the problem is also
00:24:26that the main refineries, and especially since a significant
00:24:29portion of Syrian oil is imported from Russia under previously
00:24:33existing contracts. So this matter, that Russia itself
00:24:37is suffering from a problem. But
00:24:39in the end, I read, honestly, after all this talk
00:24:43and all this momentum, that there is clear
00:24:46optimism based on economic indicators
00:24:50and energy in
00:24:54people are not convinced by it, but there are facts and there are
00:24:58Doctor, Doctor, I will return to you to talk about
00:25:02the point of optimism and the current reality and how
00:25:05this point can be understood. But allow me to move
00:25:08to our correspondent, Jameel Al-Qassem, from in front of
00:25:12the People's Assembly. Welcome to you,
00:25:14Jameel. What were the most prominent
00:25:18points in the Minister of Energy's speech today in the
00:25:22People's Assembly? And also, perhaps,
00:25:24the most prominent questions that were asked and answered by the Minister?
00:25:28الوزير
00:25:31Yes, welcome. Allow me, first, to
00:25:35talk about the session in general.
00:25:38Honestly, this session to hear from the Minister of Energy,
00:25:42Mr. Mohammed Al-Bashir, today was
00:25:45a frank and open
00:25:48session. This is the second session in
00:25:52the life of this council, and also the postponed session
00:25:56from last Thursday at the Minister's request
00:26:00to complete files.
00:26:03Also, the ministry preempted the session
00:26:06today by announcing the presentation of new alternatives.
00:26:11scene is an unusual
00:26:15scene of frankness and openness.
00:26:18Hearings with the Minister are not
00:26:22just a deputy asking and a minister answering, but
00:26:26rather they are, in general, it is a revelation and a confession
00:26:29it enriches the discussion through which the minister
00:26:33and the leaders of the ministry can benefit, learn,
00:26:36and correct any decisions. Also,
00:26:39through it, they can listen to the pulse of the street
00:26:43and know the trends of the street in general
00:26:46regarding this or that issue.
00:26:49was also heated. There were dozens
00:26:53of questions from the deputies that also branched
00:26:56from contracts to the prices of derivatives
00:27:00to the general and even
00:27:04reached alternative energy. The minister was asked
00:27:07about everything related to the ministry and everything related
00:27:10to its affiliated institutions. Also,
00:27:15in detail, but the session was adjourned a little while ago
00:27:18for a break and the rest of the points were not completed. He spoke about
00:27:22the employment or the employment of the ministry
00:27:25of thousands of contracts, re-employment of thousands
00:27:28of contracts and re-employment of thousands of dismissed employees. He spoke
00:27:33about the ministry's absorptive capacity, about the reasons that prompted
00:27:37the ministry
00:27:40to raise prices, which is the focus of the session and the focus for which the minister
00:27:44was called
00:27:46for accountability or to be heard by the council.
00:27:49So that I don't prolong, I am also happy here
00:27:54the deputy, His Excellency, Deputy Mr. Muhammad
00:27:57Al-Haim. Yes, welcome.
00:28:01It's simple. How was the session, the atmosphere of the general session?
00:28:04And were you convinced also? How were the minister's responses to
00:28:08some of the points he answered until this moment?
00:28:11First, I thank you
00:28:14and tell you that I am optimistic and more
00:28:18than optimistic about this meeting
00:28:20today. A hearing session with the Minister
00:28:24of Energy, His Excellency Minister
00:28:26Al-Bashir, is a second station
00:28:30for a new start
00:28:33and a new impression
00:28:35for the comprehensive
00:28:37identity of the People's Assembly. The People's Assembly was, before the revolution,
00:28:41an assembly of applause. Now, thank God,
00:28:45the People's Assembly has become a true legislative institution.
00:28:49Through, of course, the constitutional declaration, it said to listen to ministers.
00:28:52Honestly, we are now in the middle of the session
00:28:55and we have only talked about the oil and gas sector so far.
00:28:59In the second session, we will listen to him about the water
00:29:02and electricity sector, meaning three
00:29:05ministries in one ministry. And we will listen to him, God willing,
00:29:09about questions sent to him before
00:29:13the session through our fellow deputies.
00:29:17The Energy Committee has more than
00:29:1915 colleagues who sent him more than 40
00:29:23questions days ago, four days ago.
00:29:27This hearing session is based
00:29:30on the answers to those questions.
00:29:33Of course, the floor will be opened for us after the end
00:29:36of the hearing for His Excellency the Minister also
00:29:39with some questions or perhaps some
00:29:42answers that were not convincing to some colleagues
00:29:46or some angles that His Excellency the Minister
00:29:50did not address with clear or
00:29:53obvious answers or figures.
00:29:57colleagues asked him for accurate comparisons and figures,
00:30:00he answered positively and said, "I will send you
00:30:04the details of everything, God willing, after
00:30:09does not allow. We have been listening
00:30:12to the station. His Excellency the Deputy, regardless of
00:30:15the answers, did you feel
00:30:19the minister regarding the subsidies in some parliamentary demands of the street
00:30:23and the Syrian people now?
00:30:25He is reviewing what he has
00:30:27in terms of information.
00:30:31promises? No, of course there are no promises now. Perhaps there are
00:30:35demands to re-study prices.
00:30:38Perhaps there are demands to suspend the price increase
00:30:42for electricity, meaning the previous
00:30:44decision. There is a request that
00:30:47this decision be stopped until the income of the
00:30:50average citizen
00:30:53not the employee whose salary
00:30:56has increased relatively well.