Syria 'prioritizes' Iran, signs key reconstruction deal

Iran and Syria have signed a new agreement to fast-track reconstruction of the Arab country which is devastated by eight years of a foreign-orchestrated war.

Syrian Minister of Public Works and Housing Suhail Mohammad Abdul Latif said in Tehran Tuesday that the priority for Damascus is to consign Syria’s rebuilding to friendly countries, foremost Iran.

“Our approach to rebuilding Syria is to prioritize Iranian friends,” he said, Fars news agency reported.

Abdul Latif and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Eslami signed a document for setting up a joint construction company to build houses in Syria.

“We are in Tehran today to establish practical grounds for cooperation between Iran and Syria in order to improve bilateral cooperation in the field of housing projects,” said Abdul Latif who visited Iran with a large delegation.

“Iran is a top priority in rebuilding Syria, following successes in liberating our territories from terrorists which came through the bravery of the Syrian army and support of our Iranian brothers,” he added.

Chairman of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Gholamhussein Shafei said Iranian companies will build 30,000 residential units in Syria.

During eight years of civil war, more than a third of Syria’s infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged. With the war drawing to a close, the government has put rehabilitation projects on the front burner.

European governments have declared that they will not bankroll reconstruction in Syria under the current administration. US and EU sanctions on Syria, meanwhile, prevent Western companies from investing in Syria’s recovery.

Hence, the Syrian government looks to friendly states such as Iran, Russia and China and its citizens living abroad to fund reconstruction.

“The progresses and projects of the Resistance Front have paved the ground for the effective presence of Iranian companies in Syria, which calls for operationalizing our plans,” Eslami said on Tuesday, referring to a regional axis including Iran, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon opposed to the US and Israel.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made it clear that the West "won't be part of reconstruction in Syria, because very simply we won't allow them to be part of it, whether they come with money or not."

“We have enough strength to rebuild the country. If we don’t have money, we will borrow from our friends, from Syrians living abroad,” he has said.

Early this month, Iran signed a preliminary agreement to help rebuild Syria’s electricity grid which has suffered damages of 50 percent, according to Syrian Electricity Minister Mohammad Zuhair Kharboutli.

SS