Syria's economy strong, balanced

Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi affirmed that national economy is strong and balanced and that it's adapting to the complications and developments of the crisis in Syria through a series of decisions and steps taken by the government to suit developments.Addressing the People's Assembly on Wednesday, al-Halqi said that the Syrian Pound has become the target of unprecedented media and financial attacks by some Arab capitals which are attempting to make citizens and businessmen abandon it. He stressed that the government has taken several steps to boost citizens' confidence in commerce and the Syrian Pound and to clarify the nature of this media and economic war which is accompanied by spreading rumors. The Prime Minister said that the aforementioned stepped helped bolster citizens' confidence in national economy and foiled attempts to undermine trust in the government's economic steps and the general state of the economy. Al-Halqi affirmed that the safety of the homeland and the citizens are among the foremost priorities of the government, and that Syria will continue to combat international terrorism which is backed by Arab, regional and international forces, no matter the intensity of the economic, political, media and military aggression targeting it. He also lauded the role of the Army and Armed Forces and security forces in combating terrorism and restoring security across Syria, stressing that they are the sole guarantee of the country's unity and safety. The Prime Minister explained that the attacks of the armed terrorist groups against the economic and service sectors have increased recently in coincidence with the major advancements made by the Syrian Arab Army in various areas. He said that the armed terrorist groups targeted early in the morning the Arab Gas Pipeline which is feeding a power generating plant in the southern region, causing power outage in parts of Damascus province and its countryside, Daraa, al-Sweida and al-Quneitera provinces. The armed terrorist groups attacked 4 flour mills two weeks ago in Adra, al-Sbeineh, al-Naserieh, and al-Ghizlanieh towns. These mills provided 1350 tons of flour on a daily basis; however, the government started using the strategic storage to compensate for the loss of flour, the Prime Minister added. He pointed out that the armed terrorist groups targeted medicine factories in Syria, causing 32 factories to go out of service, adding that over 36 hospitals also went out of service because of the terrorists' attacks. He noted that in spite of the difficult circumstances going on in Syria, the government has signed 7 contracts to provide power generation requirements and transport networks with friendly countries, including Iran, India and China. Premiere al-Halqi stressed that the government is committed to administrative reforms and combating all forms of corruption. Dr. al-Halqi said that the Syrian leadership announced that it is serious about its participation in the international conference on Syria in Geneva within a participatory framework with all national political forces desiring to outline the future of pluralist and democratic Syria.   MPs pointed out that the government must exert more efforts to ease the living crisis of the steadfast people of Syria, stressing the necessity of supporting the agricultural and industrial national economy and delivering aid to the affected people. They highlighted the importance of compensating the farmers for their crops which were looted by the armed terrorist groups, in addition to securing the main roads.