Syria advances recovery with airport reopening

DAMASCUS — A series of developments took place across Syria on Tuesday as the new authorities sought to restore normalcy and tackle long-standing infrastructure challenges after the previous government's downfall.

Damascus International Airport resumed international flights to and from Gulf nations, launching a morning departure to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and welcoming the first civilian flight from Qatar's Doha in 13 years.

It marks a step toward alleviating the burdens Syrians have faced while traveling through alternate airports.

"We are now able to reactivate Damascus International Airport," said Ashhad Salibi, head of Syria's civil aviation authority. "This development will help our citizens avoid higher travel costs and, in the near future, we hope to restore service at Aleppo Airport as well."

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the General Organization for Electricity Transmission and Distribution said two power-generating vessels from Turkiye and Qatar were en route to Syria, capable of producing a combined 800 megawatts. It did not specify over what period.

Director-General Khaled Abu Dei said this capacity is roughly half of Syria's current total electricity output, predicting a potential 50 percent boost in supply once the lines are set up to distribute the power.

Noting the extensive damage to power stations, substations and transmission lines across Syria, Abu Dei said the new administration is working to rebuild and adapt the grid.

Meanwhile, Oil and Mineral Resources Minister in the Syrian interim government Ghaiath Diab said on Tuesday that engineers were using the downtime at Syria's largest oil refinery, the Baniyas refinery, caused by a crude oil shortage since last month after the fall of the previous government, to perform maintenance on equipment.

Diab expected crude shipments to arrive soon, at which point the facility can restart production and help meet the nation's fuel needs.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Tuesday that UN humanitarians and their partners have distributed food assistance to more than 2.5 million people in Syria since late November.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that European Union sanctions in Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Three European diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the EU would seek to agree to lift some sanctions by the time the bloc's 27 foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Jan 27.

Xinhua - Agencies