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Syria's interim Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir discussed ways the international community can assist the Syrian people and its new government in a December 17, 2024, appearance on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar). He emphasized that Syria needs help in bringing the perpetrators of crimes to justice, lifting sanctions, unfreezing the assets of the Syrian people, providing humanitarian aid, and securing economic investments. Al-Bashir explained that the new government has inherited from the Al-Assad regime a corrupt administrative system, degraded infrastructure, and accumulated debts, as well as corrupt contracts with various companies in Syria and abroad.
Interviewer: "What does Syria need now from the international community?"
Mohammed Al-Bashir: "What Syria needs from the international community is its support for this oppressed nation, first and foremost by bringing to justice the perpetrators of the crimes in Syria in the past years, and second, by lifting the sanctions off Syria.
"Syria is now in the hands of its people, rather than the [Al-Assad] gang. Therefore, the sanctions on Syria must be lifted, in order to help Syria economically, and to encourage economic investments in the country, as well as humanitarian aid. We have inherited a corrupt and tattered administrative system. Today, the infrastructure is completely degraded – the power grid, the sewage system, and education.
"Hundreds of schools and hospitals were destroyed by the criminal regime gangs. So [lifting the sanctions] is a must. In addition, the frozen assets of Syrians must be released. The Syrian people have the right to receive these assets back, in order to help them achieve a dignified life.
"Urgent humanitarian aid must be offered to the Syrian people, and they should be supported politically and economically. The regime left us debts and corrupt contracts with companies in Syria and abroad."
Interviewer: "So the Syrian coffers are completely empty?"
Al-Bashir: "Absolutely."
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