STORY: Syria says oil, gas production plunges due to U.S. sanctions
DATELINE: July 10, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:43
LOCATION: Damascus
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the International Petroleum, Gas and Energy exhibition
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): FARHAN JAMIL ABDULLAH, Head of Syrian Oil Company
3. various of the expo
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MADA IBRAHIM, Chemical engineer, Syrian Gas Company
5. various of the expo
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): FIRAS HASSAN KADDOUR, Syrian Oil Minister

STORYLINE:

As a result of the U.S. sanctions and military presence in Syria, oil and gas production has decreased significantly in the country.

This is according to the head of the state-run Syrian Petroleum Company, Farhan Jamil Abdullah, on the sideline of the Fourth Syria International Petroleum, Gas and Energy Exhibition (SyrPetro 2023), which runs from July 7 to 10 in the capital Damascus.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): FARHAN JAMIL ABDULLAH, Head of Syrian Oil Company
"Most of the energy fields have gone out of government control which had been primarily feeding the country with oil and gas. As a result of the sanctions imposed on Syria (by the U.S.), we have become short of oil and gas. For example, before the crisis, we used to produce around 30 million cubic meters of gas as opposed to 10 million cubic meters now. As for the oil, we used to produce 385,000 barrels per day before the crisis as opposed to 15,000 barrels now. So, you can see the difference and the sharp decrease in production as a result of the crisis and the economic sanctions imposed by the United States."

Mada Ibrahim, a chemical engineer at the Syrian Gas Company, also told Xinhua that the U.S. sanctions affected their work as they obstructed the import of necessary tools and machinery.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MADA IBRAHIM, Chemical engineer, Syrian Gas Company
"The sanctions imposed on Syria have affected all aspects of life in general and our company in particular because we always need equipment from foreign countries. But of course, with the efforts of our national skills and expertise as well as the friendly countries, we were able to withstand the difficult times of the crisis."

Meanwhile, Syrian Oil Minister Firas Hassan Kaddour revealed at the expo that the losses in the oil, gas, and mineral sectors in Syria are close to 100 billion U.S. dollars.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): FIRAS HASSAN KADDOUR, Syrian Oil Minister
"The losses in the oil, gas, and mineral wealth sectors in Syria are close to 100 billion U.S. dollars. As for the investments, we have put forward a plan for investment in the three sectors of the ministry (oil, gas, mineral) and the doors are open for all the friends, brothers, and allies to take part and invest. There is a plan by the Oil Ministry for investment and rebuilding what terrorism has destroyed in Syria."

Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the United States and its Western allies have imposed a number of economic sanctions and restrictions on Syria.

The country is reeling under a severe energy crisis as a result of the sanctions and the U.S. control of key oil and gas fields in northern and northeastern Syria.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Damascus.
(XHTV)