Iran Press/ Commentary: Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, in a meeting with Shafiq Deob, emphasizing the activation, encouragement, and persuasion of Iranian investors and technologists to participate in the reconstruction of Syria.
"The cultural, social, service and trade spheres of the two countries are of great importance," Akhtari added.
The Syrian ambassador also expressed hope that investors and activists in Iran's trade and economic sectors would be more concerned about operating in Syria.
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Civil war and economic sanctions have paved the way for the collapse of Syria's foreign trade.
Damascus now needs foreign investment and importing many goods and services from its allied countries, such as Iran, to restore the destroyed infrastructure. Iran, which played an excellent role as a strategic partner of Damascus during the war, has a smaller presence than other countries in Syria's reconstruction.
Syrian officials have repeatedly asked Iran to participate in rebuilding the ruins of the war in the country. At the same time, published reports indicate that Iran has failed to have acceptable participation in the field.
Although Iran has so far announced that agreements have been reached to carry out projects in Syria, and Hamid Zadboom, Deputy Minister of Industry, has described the reconstruction of Syria as a religious duty, but these agreements, so far, have not been thoughtfully implemented.
It was in early February 2020 that Mahmoud Mahmoudzadeh, Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, announced an agreement between Tehran and Damascus to build more than 30,000 housing units in Syria, but it seems that Iran has two major obstacles to rebuild Syria's war-torn areas: rival countries and a flawed bureaucracy.
Russia and some Arab countries, including the UAE, have announced their readiness to enter the Syrian reconstruction but Iran has acted passively.
One of the most severe problems in Iran is the flawed bureaucracy in the decision-making process. For this reason, Iran has not yet been able to use the private sector in its foreign trade.
"We are under severe economic sanctions," said Alireza Taghavi Nia, an expert on West Asian affairs, referring to Iran's weak presence in the reconstruction of Syria. "Our technology is lagging behind that of Russia, and the financial resources available to rebuild Syria is limited," he added.
He suggests that Iran should not have a purely governmental view of the issue and that the private sector needs to be given serious consideration.
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