MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2020) Syrian President Bashar Assad has issued an order to exclude imported raw materials used for the production of drugs from all types of taxes, including customs duties, beginning in August, the president's office said on Monday, amid increasing sanctions pressure from the United States.
"President Assad has issued a legislative decree No. 14 of 2020, which stipulates the exemption of production resources and basic raw materials, involved in the development of medications, from customs duties and all taxes and other fees imposed on the imports," the office said in a statement.
The new terms will enter into force at the beginning of next month for a one-year period, according to the office.
New US sanctions under the so-called Caesar law, which came into force on June 17, against Assad's government and its allies, have a large impact on all fields of the country's economy, including the medical area.
According to some experts, the restrictions are impeding the import of drugs and medical equipment to Syria.
In June, the Syrian Ministry of Health said that sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union limit and undermine the government's capabilities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and all other medical challenges.
