Western sanctions against Syria have negatively affected the country's oil and gas sector, in particular, export and import operations, and this has resulted in the suffering of common people, the director of planning and international cooperation at the Syrian Oil Ministry, Mohammad Jeroudi, told Sputnik
DAMASCUS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2019) Western sanctions against Syria have negatively affected the country's oil and gas sector, in particular, export and import operations, and this has resulted in the suffering of common people, the director of planning and international cooperation at the Syrian Oil Ministry, Mohammad Jeroudi, told Sputnik.
"This is obviously a war because these sanctions deprive people of oil products, which affects their needs for heating, agriculture and other spheres," Jeroudi said on the sidelines of the SyrPetro exhibition.
According to the official, these sanctions have also significantly affected the possibility of acquiring equipment for the oil and gas industry and banking operations when it comes to exports and imports.
Syria's oil production now stands at 24,000 barrels per day, while the country's daily needs amount to about 100,000 barrels. The infrastructure at some oil fields was destroyed as a result of the civil war, while other oil fields are still out of the government's control. The delivery of oil and oil products to the country is also extremely difficult due to the sanctions imposed by the West.
Syrian specialists are ready to start recovering oil and gas fields in northeast Syria immediately if Damascus regains over the area, but no one should expect an immediate return to the pre-crisis production level, Jeroudi said.
Jeroudi added that Syria, in particular, hoped for assistance from Russia to restore the Syrian oil fields.
"Russia has experience in the oil and gas sector ... this experience and the availability of specialists in this field are significant. The support of Russia will help restore the work of these oil fields and increase production levels," he said.
The Syrian International Petroleum and Mineral Resources exhibition, SyrPetro, was held in Damascus from October 26-29. Over 50 Syrian and foreign companies, including some from Russia, took part in it.
