Deir Ezzor, Aug. 11 (SANA) Deir Ezzor Governorate is anticipating the implementation of three major projects announced by President Ahmad al-Sharaa in a video-linked speech marking the opening of Deir Ezzor International Airport, including the establishment of an industrial city that could form the nucleus of a new production base in eastern Syria.
The proposed industrial city is particularly significant given Deir Ezzor’s geographical location near the Iraqi border, its agricultural and natural resources, oil and gas resources, and its available workforce, according to two economic and financial experts who spoke to SANA.
The experts said that, if implemented under an integrated vision, the project could generate five key gains: attract investments, establish productive projects, provide job opportunities, revitalize the transport, trade and services sectors, and transform local resources into value-added products rather than exporting them as raw materials.
Economic expert Dr. Yasser al-Hussein said the industrial city could mark a shift from rehabilitating the local economy toward building a new production base in eastern Syria, making use of the region’s agricultural and natural resources and its proximity to the Iraqi market.
He said the project’s importance lies in transforming agricultural raw materials and other local resources into manufactured products, increasing value added within the governorate, creating direct and indirect job opportunities, and stimulating the transport, services and trade sectors.
Al-Hussein said rehabilitating the existing industrial city, if its infrastructure can be repaired, could be more efficient than establishing a new project, particularly as government authorities are assessing damage and infrastructure requirements.
He identified three key advantages that qualify Deir Ezzor to host an industrial city: its location along an axis linking Syria and Iraq, its agricultural base associated with the Euphrates River, and its oil and gas resources.
These resources, he said, create opportunities for energy-related industries, petrochemicals and oilfield services.
Al-Hussein stressed the importance of industrial diversification, saying food, agricultural, textile and petrochemical industries and related services should complement one another rather than relying solely on extractive industries.
Financial and economic consultant Mohammad Nasser Hamo said establishing the industrial city would require investments estimated at tens of millions of dollars to provide basic infrastructure.
Production facilities, particularly in the petrochemical and food sectors, could attract investments exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars once completed, Hamo said, provided they are designed in line with the needs of the region.
Al-Hussein said the industrial city could turn Deir Ezzor into a gateway for Syrian exports to Iraq.
Access to Gulf markets, however, would require integrated logistics corridors that include roads, transportation, customs clearance, warehouses and freight services, he said.
Al-Hussein expects the project to benefit the local economy through increased production and value added, job creation and the revitalization of transport, services, trade and housing, while attracting additional investments once the necessary infrastructure is completed.
The industrial zone and a number of vital facilities in the governorate were subjected to
The Ministry of Economy and Industry is working to rehabilitate industrial cities, zones and factories in line with the economic recovery phase and to promote the return of productive and industrial activity to the governorate.
T.S /Ruaa
