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00:00:03President Ahmed al-Shara concluded his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
00:00:07during which he met Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown
00:00:11Prince and Prime Minister. President Ahmed al-Shara
00:00:14arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on an official visit at the head of a high-level
00:00:17government delegation, including the Ministers of Foreign
00:00:21Affairs, Expatriates, Defense, Finance,
00:00:24and Industry, and the Head of General Intelligence. This visit comes within the
00:00:28framework of strengthening and developing bilateral cooperation relations between
00:00:32the two brotherly countries and discussing
00:00:36Arabia, whether in the Gulf the most prominent issues of common
00:00:37interest.
00:00:42The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates affirmed that President
00:00:46Ahmed al-Shara's visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
00:00:49constituted an important milestone in strengthening bilateral relations
00:00:52and developing joint cooperation. The Ministry stated in a statement
00:00:56that the visit, which took place on November 4,
00:01:00included discussions that covered regional
00:01:02and international issues and ways to de-escalate.
00:01:06It also culminated in the signing of a military
00:01:10cooperation agreement and memoranda of understanding that included
00:01:13the industrial, agricultural, environmental, infrastructure, housing,
00:01:18that, many agreements and financial
00:01:20cooperation will emerge services sectors.
00:01:25of what is happening in Yemen The Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry of
00:01:28Foreign Affairs and Expatriates,
00:01:30Sally Shubat, participated in a dialogue session that included
00:01:34the Director of the Diplomatic Institute, Yasser al-Jundi, with a delegation from the
00:01:37European Council on Foreign Relations. The session discussed
00:01:41ways to enhance political dialogue, develop strategic
00:01:46of preparation for partnership with Europe, expand
00:01:49to power, there has been constant economic
00:01:50coordination, consultation, cooperation,
00:01:52and even and support recovery and institutional capacity building. The session also discussed
00:01:55Yes, that's what transitional justice files, arrogance that might missing persons, the return of refugees,
00:01:58and coordinating positions regarding regional developments
00:02:02and the repercussions of Israeli
00:02:03attacks.
00:02:08of the issue. However, it A delegation from the Ministry
00:02:11of Higher Education and Scientific Research discussed, during a two-day visit to Berlin,
00:02:15ways to enhance academic and research cooperation between Syria and Germany,
00:02:19expand exchange programs and scholarships,
00:02:22develop curricula, and qualify
00:02:24scientific staff. The visit included meetings
00:02:28with German officials
00:02:30and academic and research institutions, in addition
00:02:35the backdrop of the American-Iranian to participating in a dialogue on higher education reform in Syria
00:02:37with the participation of Syrian
00:02:40I believe all these issues academics and researchers, with the aim of building sustainable partnerships and supporting
00:02:44universities and scientific
00:02:46research
00:02:50into this matter. This centers.
00:02:55aspect of the discussions Minister of Information Khaled
00:02:57during agreements, and today we see Zaarour discussed with his Egyptian counterpart, Diaa Rashwan, ways to enhance
00:02:59cooperation between the two countries in the media
00:03:02we will see them return to field. The two sides touched upon a number of
00:03:05and they will not be limited
00:03:06loan agreements with the areas of common interest during a meeting held on the
00:03:09sidelines of the 56th session
00:03:12of the Council of Arab
00:03:16repeated in the Information Ministers, which opened at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League
00:03:19of Arab
00:03:20States in Cairo.
00:03:26The Governor of Idlib, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, met with
00:03:30officials from the UNHCR, including a number of field
00:03:34officials and program and project coordinators.
00:03:38The meeting discussed urgent
00:03:41countries. This priorities and ways to expand interventions in infrastructure
00:03:45to support stability and facilitate
00:03:49will be something to follow the return of residents to their homes.
00:03:50And to complete this The progress of current projects supervised by the Commission
00:03:54and the assessment of their service and humanitarian impact on the ground
00:03:58were also reviewed.
00:04:00The end of the news
00:04:10similar things, considering also what is happening
00:04:15puts a lot of pressure on
00:04:16the
00:04:26The official visit of President to emerge from long years of Ahmed al-Shara to Saudi Arabia marginalization, from war, from destruction, from
00:04:30and his meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince constituted
00:04:31a lot of
00:04:34a sustainable regional partnership
00:04:36this relationship, and a temporary and resulted in the signing of six development loan agreements
00:04:40worth over
00:04:42$403
00:04:44million to support comprehensive recovery
00:04:48and reconstruction in Syria. Minister of
00:04:51Finance Mohammed Yaser Berniah affirmed the continued study
00:04:54of a new package of development projects with the Saudi
00:04:58Sovereign Fund for Development, covering
00:05:02nine vital and service sectors. On the political,
00:05:05security, and diplomatic
00:05:08levels, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates confirmed
00:05:11the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Ministries
00:05:15of Defense in the two countries, in addition to a package of memoranda of understanding that included
00:05:18the energy, industry, environment, and housing sectors,
00:05:22which opens broad and renewed
00:05:25horizons for joint cooperation. Welcome, dear viewers, to
00:05:29this coverage from Syrian News.
00:05:50The diplomatic gateway to economic horizons is a new
00:05:54pillar formed by the official visit of President Ahmed
00:05:57al-Shara to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and his meeting with Crown
00:06:01Prince Mohammed bin Salman to integrate Syria into
00:06:04its regional and international environment, in preparation for accelerating
00:06:08institutional reconstruction and strengthening strategic and security cooperation,
00:06:11and opening the door wide for investment flow
00:06:15in conjunction with international transformations and the lifting of sanctions. The Ministry
00:06:19of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates clarified
00:06:21that the discussions resulted in the signing of a group
00:06:25of agreements and memoranda of understanding that cover vital sectors
00:06:29such as energy, industry, agriculture, environmental protection,
00:06:32infrastructure, housing, and financial
00:06:35services, in addition to the Ministry of Defense. The language of numbers
00:06:38translated this partnership by signing six development loan agreements
00:06:42between the Ministry of Finance and the Saudi Development Fund
00:06:46with a value exceeding $403 million,
00:06:49which included vital sectors, most notably
00:06:53$90 million for the rehabilitation of the Aleppo thermal power plant, $100 million
00:06:57for the health sector, and $105 million
00:07:00for the establishment of civil defense centers, in addition to projects
00:07:04for water and housing development and digital transformation. The partnership
00:07:07did not stop at the limits of money and economy, but was also embodied
00:07:11by Syria's obtaining an official and free
00:07:15exhibition space at Expo 2030 in Riyadh, in
00:07:18a clear message of confidence that Syria is turning
00:07:22the page of the past towards comprehensive recovery. These comprehensive
00:07:25partnerships come within a rapidly accelerating path of Saudi-Syrian
00:07:29rapprochement that began in 2025, from
00:07:33investment estimates of about $7 billion
00:07:36mentioned by President Ahmed al-Shara at the
00:07:40Future Investment Initiative Forum, to the Damascus
00:07:43Investment Forum, which witnessed the participation of 200 Saudi
00:07:46entities and the announcement of 27 projects
00:07:50worth over 24 billion
00:07:53riyals, to confirm to Damascus and Riyadh that economic
00:07:56recovery and the future of reconstruction are the beginning
00:08:00of launching a sustainable
00:08:02regional partnership.
00:08:08In a step reflecting a direction towards supporting the recovery process and rehabilitating
00:08:11the infrastructure in Syria, the Ministry of
00:08:15Finance signed six development
00:08:18Saudi Development Fund with a total value exceeding
00:08:22$403 million to support vital sectors
00:08:25including energy, water, health, emergencies, housing,
00:08:29and digital transformation, during the visit of President
00:08:32Ahmed al-Shara to Riyadh and in the presence of Saudi
00:08:36Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The agreements include
00:08:39allocating $90 million to rehabilitate the generation units at the Aleppo
00:08:43thermal power plant, which will provide electricity
00:08:46to about 5 million people, and $30 million
00:08:50to modernize the drinking water system and install 300
00:08:53thousand smart meters that will benefit about 1.5 million
00:08:57people. Also, $105 million was allocated
00:09:01to establish and rehabilitate 25 civil
00:09:03defense centers that will benefit more than 7 million people,
00:09:07and $60 million to rehabilitate up to
00:09:111000 damaged housing units. In the health
00:09:14sector, the financing value is $100 million to rehabilitate,
00:09:18establish, and equip hospitals and health
00:09:21centers, while the allocations for digital transformation
00:09:25and the development of government financial
00:09:27services exceed $18 million.
00:09:30The agreements were signed on the Syrian side by Minister of Finance Mohammed Yaser
00:09:33Berniah, and on the Saudi side by the CEO
00:09:37of the Fund, Sultan bin Abdul Rahman al-Marshad, while the Ministry
00:09:40of Finance is responsible for signing on behalf of the ministries
00:09:44and relevant authorities. These agreements represent a first installment
00:09:48of development projects that are being financed to support
00:09:51recovery and rehabilitate infrastructure and improve
00:09:55basic services within the framework of development cooperation between
00:09:59the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
00:10:01and Syria.
00:10:05And I welcome, dear viewers, my guests in this
00:10:08news hour. We have with us here in the studio Dr. Rashid
00:10:12Saleh, a senior researcher at the Arab Center for Contemporary
00:10:16Doctor, and also
00:10:20welcome to Mr. Ahmed Al-Salem, writer
00:10:24and economic researcher, our guest from Riyadh. Welcome, Mr.
00:10:27Ahmed, and welcome to Dr.
00:10:30Saad Wafai, international
00:10:33relations expert. With us from Aleppo, welcome
00:10:37all. If I start with my guest here in the studio, Dr.
00:10:40Rashid, if we look at the timing of this
00:10:44visit and where
00:10:47relations between the new Saudi Arabia and Syria
00:10:50have reached, thank you. In fact,
00:10:54the timing of the visit comes in
00:10:57light of important international circumstances
00:11:00and changes, and
00:11:04I believe it is important in such circumstances
00:11:08and changes for countries to begin
00:11:11coordinating, discussing, and consulting on the implications
00:11:14of these changes
00:11:16and their impact.
00:11:18Therefore, I believe the visit comes
00:11:22within this framework. The region, as is well known,
00:11:25has been experiencing major changes for months.
00:11:28There is the American-Israeli war on Iran.
00:11:32There is also the war on Hezbollah in
00:11:35Lebanon, and recently
00:11:38even the events in Yemen and the Strait War,
00:11:42yes, and we have the Israeli elections, the midterm elections
00:11:46for the American Congress. All these
00:11:49events, I believe, cast
00:11:51their influence and shadow on the region,
00:11:56and it seems that the visit is within the framework of evaluating,
00:11:59determining, and discussing these
00:12:02circumstances,
00:12:04with regard to the fact that Syria
00:12:07and Saudi Arabia, ever since the fall of the regime
00:12:11and the arrival of a new authority
00:12:17cooperation, whether in political or security
00:12:20or even economic matters.
00:12:23الاقتصاديه.
00:12:26Okay, I will return to you and go
00:12:30to Professor Ahmed Al-Salem. Professor
00:12:33Ahmed, today, these
00:12:36agreements that were signed
00:12:39between the two sides for an amount close
00:12:43to half a billion dollars, we are talking about more
00:12:46than $400 million US dollars. To what
00:12:48extent do they really
00:12:52contribute to enhancing economic cooperation, moving
00:12:56from memoranda of understanding and agreements to practical
00:12:59implementation today in Syria?
00:13:12agreements that were signed today between
00:13:15New Syria and the Kingdom
00:13:19of Saudi
00:13:25the visit of His Excellency President Ahmed al-Shara to
00:13:29Riyadh
00:13:31is, of course, a visit that has
00:13:34been repeated and will be
00:13:41future. These agreements are a
00:13:45natural matter that was previously discussed
00:13:48and will be found
00:13:50in the future. Continuous agreements
00:13:54between Saudi Arabia and Syria
00:13:57for Syria to rise and for Syria to return
00:14:01strong among the Arab
00:14:06role was on Saudi
00:14:10Arabia's shoulders for Syria's
00:14:12return.
00:14:15role, there must be
00:14:18a rescue and recovery for Syria in
00:14:22all aspects.
00:14:26In the past, delegations
00:14:28came to Syria, came to Riyadh,
00:14:32and delegations went
00:14:35to Syria repeatedly in repeated
00:14:39visits to reach
00:14:41such agreements. Today,
00:14:45His Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
00:14:49received his brother
00:14:51Ahmed
00:14:54al-Shara in Riyadh to sign
00:14:57agreements,
00:15:00the most important of which are security,
00:15:02economic,
00:15:04and infrastructure. The important thing today
00:15:08is not the agreements. The important thing is
00:15:12that the Syrian and Saudi
00:15:14governments have
00:15:17a match and agreement on
00:15:21all issues
00:15:24that concern the region,
00:15:27and this is a natural matter. And we will then
00:15:31proceed with agreements. And this is an important point, by God, Professor Ahmed,
00:15:34you pointed to many
00:15:38points, but the last one is very
00:15:40important. The relationship today between
00:15:44Saudi Arabia and Syria cannot be a relationship
00:15:47that is more than natural and more than intimate, if I may say so.
00:15:51Today, when His Excellency
00:15:54the President visits Saudi Arabia, the first Arab country
00:15:58he visits after the liberation of Syria, and more than once
00:16:01he visits, what does that mean, and also referring to
00:16:05the leading role, or the leading
00:16:08role of Saudi
00:16:13or in the region.
00:16:16These visits stem from
00:16:19the vision of the brothers in
00:16:21Syria for Riyadh
00:16:25and Riyadh's vision for Syria
00:16:28and that it is capable
00:16:32of reaching its highest levels. I
00:16:35previously mentioned, and you mentioned,
00:16:39the alignment
00:16:42of the two countries on all
00:16:45that concerns the Arab
00:16:48region is the basis for any
00:16:52dealings, and after
00:16:55and much
00:16:58in all areas: housing,
00:17:02health, and all areas. The important
00:17:06thing is that we feel, or that Riyadh feels
00:17:09and Syria feels
00:17:13that the visions are completely
00:17:16aligned, and this is what we
00:17:20need most today in the region. And as you know,
00:17:23today, Arab countries
00:17:26are not aligned on all visions, and this is what
00:17:30harms dealings. Today, I see
00:17:33Syria, Damascus, and Riyadh
00:17:36aligned in all
00:17:39areas, and we hope that this continues
00:17:42indefinitely. This is the product
00:17:45we see today, agreements.
00:17:47We will see,
00:17:50I will not say in tens of billions, but
00:17:53it will reach hundreds of billions in the near
00:17:57future, and we will see
00:18:00Syria each year will be
00:18:04different from the year before.
00:18:10Syria's stability today is an urgent
00:18:14and important requirement. Syria's
00:18:18growth
00:18:20is an urgent requirement, and Saudi Arabia sees
00:18:23that these requirements need
00:18:26continuity and need projects
00:18:30and need
00:18:33them in Riyadh, and tomorrow we will see them in Damascus,
00:18:37and after months,
00:18:39Riyadh,
00:18:43to Riyadh, but will be spread throughout
00:18:47the Gulf countries. I expect that in the coming
00:18:51months and years, the Gulf countries
00:18:54will be
00:18:56similar to what Riyadh is doing due to
00:19:00the importance of Syria.
00:19:02Yes, notice the importance
00:19:06of Syria. Syria represents
00:19:09strategic
00:19:12importance
00:19:14for the Gulf states, and for Syria
00:19:18to exist and play this role,
00:19:21Syria must be supported in all
00:19:24fields, and this is what Saudi Arabia
00:19:27is doing today. Yes, going
00:19:30to Dr. Saad
00:19:33Wafai, our guest from Aleppo, and you are an expert in international relations, Doctor.
00:19:37Saad, to what extent is the relationship today between
00:19:41Saudi Arabia and Syria not just
00:19:43agreements or
00:19:47in the region? Perhaps the matter
00:19:51is more than that,
00:19:53and why?
00:19:55First, I welcome you, Professor Ammar, and the viewers and your
00:19:59esteemed guests. The truth is that the Saudi-Syrian
00:20:02relationship has always been a relationship much more
00:20:06than a relationship of shared destiny, more than a relationship
00:20:10of interests, a tactical
00:20:13relationship. This has been the case since the establishment
00:20:16of Syria, or even since the establishment of Syria in
00:20:191916 until today. Saudi-Syrian relations
00:20:23are always very strong relations,
00:20:27despite the different
00:20:30governments that have passed over them. The reality
00:20:33is that Saudi Arabia has been concerned
00:20:35with the demands of the Syrian people and the situation in Syria since
00:20:392011, when the blessed Syrian revolution broke out.
00:20:42Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to stand by the
00:20:45Syrian people. Today,
00:20:48relations are truly extending
00:20:52to be deeper than that, to be a fateful relationship resulting
00:20:56from what is happening in the region of dramatic
00:20:59changes, truly very big changes.
00:21:03The most important and most, and I believe the Israeli penetration into Syrian
00:21:07territories and the increased
00:21:09Israeli arrogance in Syria, I believe that it does
00:21:13not only threaten Syria and is not intended
00:21:16by Israeli movements to target Syria,
00:21:19but rather the two most important
00:21:22countries in the region, which are Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we see
00:21:26that there is great interest from these two countries
00:21:30in Syria. What we can notice
00:21:33in this visit is that it came less
00:21:36than a month after the previous visit, but this time
00:21:39it came with President Ahmed
00:21:43al-Shara accompanied by the Minister of Defense, who is the only
00:21:47one who signed a treaty and not
00:21:50a memorandum of understanding, but rather a defense
00:21:53treaty. Yes, it was not supposed to be a joint
00:21:57defense treaty, and this
00:21:59is of course understandable because Saudi Arabia,
00:22:03preventing it from, meaning there are circumstances
00:22:07that probably do not allow Saudi Arabia to enter into a joint
00:22:11defense treaty with Syria, because
00:22:15and what is happening in the Arabian Gulf.
00:22:19Therefore, we understand that this treaty,
00:22:23but it is a treaty and not a memorandum of understanding.
00:22:26This means that this visit came in advance of the previous
00:22:29visit. It came with expectations
00:22:32or with a kind
00:22:36what might happen in the region in terms of changes
00:22:39or what is happening in the region in terms of Israeli
00:22:43turn into a kind of
00:22:46war or a kind of conflict between
00:22:50Syrians and Israelis, and this concerns
00:22:54the Saudis greatly. The region,
00:22:57what we also notice is that the funds
00:23:00that were injected were injected
00:23:03significantly into civil defense, and into health, and these are
00:23:07two important matters for
00:23:10defense, meaning that there is
00:23:13today
00:23:15a defense treaty,
00:23:19and funds were injected into sectors that
00:23:22concern what could happen if, God forbid, any
00:23:26kind of wars occurred, that there would be a very
00:23:29high need for health and civil defense.
00:23:32Saudi Arabia
00:23:35injected $200 million or nearly $200 million
00:23:40matter concerns defense in particular.
00:23:44So this visit acquires exceptional importance
00:23:47in that it included the presence of
00:23:50the Syrian Minister
00:23:54of Defense and the signing
00:23:57of this treaty. This treaty indicates that
00:24:00the region is not well. The Syrian
00:24:03forces are preparing for what is
00:24:06to come, and there are brothers, siblings,
00:24:09and friendly countries that are truly
00:24:13standing by Syria if, God
00:24:16forbid, any kind of
00:24:20problem or any kind of wars occurs between
00:24:23Syria and Israel. This matter,
00:24:26of course, preparations are not only regional. I
00:24:30believe that events will be followed
00:24:33by international preparations, not just regional.
00:24:36And I believe that there
00:24:39this matter. We are truly awaiting
00:24:42and monitoring events carefully
00:24:45and cautiously because Netanyahu and his gang
00:24:49in Israel
00:24:52do not wish well for the region, nor do they wish well for
00:24:56stability in Syria. Of course, stability
00:24:59in Syria means
00:25:01energy supply lines for
00:25:05Saudi Arabia and the arrival of Saudi Arabia and Saudi
00:25:08oil and Saudi energy to the Mediterranean
00:25:12Sea. Stability in Syria means that strategic
00:25:15corridors open, and this is not really in anyone's interest and is not in
00:25:19Israel's interest. Therefore, Israel is standing
00:25:23very firmly against
00:25:26stability and is trying in every way possible to
00:25:30break what could happen in terms of stability
00:25:33in Syria. We notice that
00:25:37the David Corridor agreement and other David
00:25:40Corridor agreements and the Saudi-Israeli
00:25:44peace talks have largely stopped. All
00:25:47that surrounds these agreements and these peace
00:25:51talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel have stopped
00:25:54a long time ago. This visit is not far
00:25:57at all from this environment or
00:26:00this surrounding. This
00:26:04is, I mean, a very tense
00:26:07situation in the region. Yes, and this is an important
00:26:11matter, Dr. Saad. Going back to you, Dr.
00:26:14Rashid, the treaty that Dr. Saad referred to between
00:26:18the Syrian and Saudi Ministries of Defense, the importance
00:26:22of this treaty in light of the changes taking
00:26:25place, and also referring to the fact
00:26:28that Syria also signed
00:26:32a memorandum or a treaty of joint cooperation between
00:26:35the Syrian Ministry of Defense
00:26:38and the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
00:26:42Yes, indeed, the security concern
00:26:44in the region seems to have increased significantly
00:26:47in the past few months.
00:26:50Now, the question is whether the countries
00:26:53of the region are capable of defending
00:26:57themselves, or do they need assistance
00:27:01from time to time?
00:27:08It is now clear, and this seems to be the strategic thinking not only of Syrians and Saudis but also of Turks, that the countries of the region must be able
00:27:11to ensure their own security.
00:27:15From here, the Mecca alliance was
00:27:19completed. I believe, especially the official
00:27:23Syrian statements, the Minister of Defense a while
00:27:26ago said that the security of Saudi Arabia
00:27:29and the security of Saudi Arabia is a common security,
00:27:35and that military cooperation
00:27:38must be at its highest levels.
00:27:41I believe that one of the points that
00:27:45was raised precisely is whether
00:27:47Syria will join the Mecca alliance or not.
00:27:51Does this treaty pave the way for Syria
00:27:54to join this alliance in the future?
00:27:57I want to say, that in
00:28:00the end, joining the Mecca alliance
00:28:04requires discussions, arrangements, and
00:28:07an assessment of the impacts
00:28:10is clear that there is a tendency in this regard.
00:28:14Why? I believe that the matter
00:28:18will proceed because there is a Syrian interest and there is
00:28:21a Saudi interest at the same time. Syria
00:28:24also has security issues,
00:28:27and Israeli violations in the south
00:28:30are continuous.
00:28:33The situation in Saudi Arabia, against
00:28:37war and the situation in Yemen,
00:28:43have cast their shadow on the region. It seems that if
00:28:46you notice, even the delegation included two military figures:
00:28:50the Syrian Minister of Defense and the Head of Intelligence.
00:28:53This means that this issue took an important
00:28:59the last visit. Do we expect
00:29:03continued coordination between the two sides,
00:29:06and why was the Head of Intelligence present?
00:29:09Well,
00:29:11you know, the military situation in the region
00:29:15has become more linked to the security situation. Today,
00:29:18weapons are no longer traditional weapons. They have become
00:29:21small weapons,
00:29:24drones. Therefore, the security aspect is involved
00:29:28in this, and intelligence as well.
00:29:31I mean, in the end, and
00:29:34the gangs, drug smuggling gangs, weapons, human
00:29:37trafficking across borders, Captagon,
00:29:40Iran's militias, still. active, in one way or another,
00:29:44not long ago, intelligence
00:29:47and internal security forces managed to
00:29:50thwart a bombing attempt, a bombing attempt
00:29:53on the Homs refinery. It is behind it,
00:29:57and the Baniyas refinery also.
00:30:00Yes, indeed. Therefore, I believe
00:30:03that these security situations were discussed
00:30:06and the means
00:30:09to confront them were discussed and the way to deal
00:30:13with them because the security situation, as I mentioned,
00:30:18region at the present time, especially since
00:30:22Syria is preparing
00:30:28the and therefore, the matter requires
00:30:33a lot of discussions and a lot of
00:30:36assistance. And by the way,
00:30:39I mean, let me say that the number, I was surprised that it was
00:30:43403 million. I was surprised that it was small.
00:30:46Hmm. And we expected there to be a larger
00:30:50number because
00:30:53Syria's recovery is linked, all aspects are linked
00:30:56to each other. Economic recovery is linked to security recovery.