Damascus, SANA – The Cabinet discussed in its weekly session on Tuesday a number of issues related to services and citizens’ living conditions, including means to monitor market prices and transportation fees.
Chairing the session, Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi said that the decision to raise the prices of petroleum products is part of “carefully calculated economic policies” and that the current conditions in the country force the government to make unpopular decisions, adding that the recent increase in living costs compensation should alleviate economic burdens on state workers.
He went on to say that the state treasury was greatly depleted by the war on Syria, and the years of war and the economic embargo have drained resources and caused production to stall in many sectors, stressing that the government no longer produces oil but buys it in foreign currency, and raising petroleum products has become a necessity in order to keep providing them.
Hazem Sabbagh