After overthrowing the Assad dynasty in December, the jihadist regime that rules Syria on Tuesday invited Assad Hassan to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, to seek foreign investment in the war-torn terrorist group.・Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani was dispatched. A haunted land.
“I am honored to represent Syria for the first time in its history at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland. We will share Syria's development vision for the future and the aspirations of our great people with the world. I will pass it on,” Shaibani said. said.
For most of the 55 years since the WEF was established, Syria has been ruled by two brutal dictators, Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar. Davos has never liked either regime, given its brutal crackdown on opposition and its tendency to seize control of every industry in Syria and completely destroy it.
Bashar al-Assad managed to survive a civil war that began in 2011 with protests against his rule thanks to military aid from Russia and Iran, but setbacks in Ukraine and Gaza, respectively, weakened his backers. After that, he was removed from power with surprising speed. .
President Assad was forced out of Damascus by rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which started as an al-Qaeda splinter called Jabhat al-Nusra.
HTS and its leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani sought to distance themselves from al-Qaeda and reinvent themselves as a more tolerant and pluralistic brand of Islamist. promise The idea was that in post-Assad Syria, Islam would reign supreme, while minorities would be protected. Religious minorities viewed these promises as doubtespecially the long-suffering Christians of Syria and the Alawites, a Shiite sect that counted Assad and much of his ruling elite among its members.
Jolani hut The terrorist's alias changed back to his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, after becoming Syria's de facto ruler. He insists that his military regime is only a “temporary” step towards a more legitimate government chosen by the people, and aims to rebuild Syria's war-torn towns and cities and boost the national economy by attracting foreign investment. He insisted that he would focus on providing leverage.
of financial times (FT)Wednesday reported With Syria's finances in a much worse shape than expected, Shara and his “interim government” have their work cut out for them.
Among other things, the new government discovered that Bashar al-Assad had amassed $30 billion in debt by buying military aid from Russia and Iran, that the Syrian central bank's foreign exchange reserves were completely depleted, and that Assad The government built political support by hiring large numbers of employees that it could not afford. The major industries that could be afforded, such as agriculture and manufacturing, were badly run by the dictator's cronies.
Shaibani said. F.T. The regime will privatize Syria's moribund industries as quickly as possible to generate profitable exports and seek public-private partnerships for infrastructure such as airports and roads, both of which are in dire condition and are attracting private investors. It would be extremely difficult to find it.
“We don't want to live on humanitarian aid, and we don't want countries to give us money as if they were throwing their investments into the ocean,” he said.
Shaibani said one of his top priorities at Davos would be to persuade the United States and Europe to lift sanctions against Syria, beyond the few waivers for humanitarian aid they have already issued. . He noted that it will be extremely difficult to find foreign investors and patrons for Syrian exports if potential partners fear the imposition of punitive sanctions.
The European Union (EU) has made clear that it will not lift sanctions until Mr Sharrer fulfills his promise to govern Syria in a stable and humane manner, but there are potential targets in the Middle East such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt. partner countries are concerned. Terrorist organizations have regained power in post-Assad Syria and are spreading their influence beyond borders.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah called In a speech at the WEF on Tuesday, he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted and suggested the country was willing to do business with the post-Assad regime in Damascus.
in him F.T. In the interview, Mr. Shaibani said Turkey is against Syria's new government after years of strongly supporting anti-Assad militant groups and building an alliance to fight Syria's Kurds, which Turkey views as its biggest security threat. He spoke about sensitive issues related to the enormous influence of The foreign minister promised that other countries need not worry about “Turkish expansion” or Turkey's “conquest” of Syria.
However, Shaybani agreed with Turkey that the Kurdish forces should be disbanded and integrated with the Syrian National Army. He also called for Damascus to take over prisons for Islamic State prisoners currently controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“There is no longer any legitimacy to the existence of the Self-Defense Forces,” Shaibani declared. The Kurds appear to be strongly opposed to this, and since they have been an important partner for the US and Europe in the brutal war against ISIS in Syria, the success of Mr. Shaibani's Davos mission is likely to be It may depend on how the government plans to deal with conflicts between the two countries. Turk.
Another thorny issue is the “security buffer zone” that Israel established in Syrian territory after fighting Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists in the Gaza war. of jerusalem post office (Japan) Wednesday reported Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez called on Israel to withdraw its troops from Syria and Lebanon in a speech at the WEF, while Turkey, like last year, is boycotting Davos over Israel's actions. .
