Damascus, SANA- Prime Minister Hussein Arnous received India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri. V. Muraleedharan upon his visit to Syria.
The two sides, during the meeting held Thursday, discussed fostering economic relations between the two countries and opening up new prospects that reflect the profound historical ties binding them.
The Prime Minister stressed the Syrian government’s keenness to develop economic and trade ties with the Indian side, particularly in barter transactions in addition to advancing the role of business sector to serve the common interests of both countries.
He also highlighted establishing a partnership in the scientific, technical and technological fields, as well as increasing scholarships for Syrian students, noting the importance of India-Syria Centre of Excellence and its role in developing the skills of Syrian engineers and technicians, and the need to open branches for it in various governorates.
Arnous underlined the need for Indian companies to participate in the reconstruction phase in Syria in diverse fields, given the considerable experience these companies have.
The Prime Minister invited his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to visit Syria, extending thanks and appreciation to India for supporting the country in the aftermath of the earthquake and providing humanitarian, relief and medical aid to those affected.
In turn, the Indian Minister conveyed the Indian Prime Minister’s greetings to PM Arnous, hailing the deep-rooted Indian-Syrian relations and stressing the need to prompting these ties in the economic, banking, scientific, technical, governance, digital payment, infrastructure, training and software fields, in a way that contributes to developing the skills of Syrian youth.
PM Muraleedharan emphasized the need for concerted efforts to address the challenges that impede the bilateral cooperation, expressing his happiness at Syria’s victory over terrorism, and affirming his country’s readiness to contribute to reconstruction, economic and community development, and to provide all kinds of support to the Syrian people.
Kinda al-Mahmoud / Baraa Ali