Damascus, (SANA) – The 1st Syrian-Czech Industrialists Forum, which was held on Tuesday in Damascus, focused on fields and prospects of cooperation between the two sides and the obstacles hindering this cooperation and how to overcome them in order to develop relations.

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari said that Syria and the Czech Republic are connected by deep-rooted relations that helped establish solid basis for Syrian industry, pointing out to the Czech projects in Syria such as the gas line.

Al-Dardari underlined Syria's significance in terms of population growth and gross domestic product (GDP), noting that Syria needs investments valued at USD 50 billion in infrastructures during the next five years.

He added that Syria is working to connect its economy throughout the region via an electric and gas network, oil pipelines, highways and harbors, in addition to transport bases that will help restore her historic role as the main country on the Silk Road connecting east and west.

Deputy Prime Minister concluded by affirming Syria's commitment to establishing joint projects with the Czech Republic and finding new markets for their products. He also said that Syrian-Czech cooperation in the field of industry will have an effect on Syrian banks, calling for establishing joint banks and financial establishments to finance industry and trade.

In turn, Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Jan Kohout expressed his country's desire to bolster political and economic relations with Syria to reflect positively on the two countries' friendly peoples.

Kohout said that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries is currently unsatisfactory, and that there are huge opportunities for increasing it by reactivating signed agreements.

For his part, Head of the Syrian Chambers of Commerce Federation Imad Ghrewati noted that trade exchange between the two countries amounted to around USD 70 million in 2009, while the two countries wish to increase it to USD 100 million soon. He also underlined the importance of the two countries' geographic location in terms of moving goods to neighboring markets.

Head of the Syrian side in the Syrian-Czech Businessmen Council Salim Daaboul stressed the need for establishing industrial investments in Syria in the fields of sugar, textiles and car assembly and the importance of benefiting from Czech expertise in this regard. He also underlined the need for acquiring licenses for manufacturing famous brands to meet the needs of shopping malls in Syria.

In turn, Vice President of the Czech Confederation of Industry Jaroslav Hanak said that Syria is an ideal partner for trade exchange, affirming that this forum will allow Czech businessmen and industrialists to learn about commercial and investment opportunities in Syria, in addition to promoting their industries.

H. Sabbagh / Mazen