- Official languages: Arabic.
- Geographical location: it is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
- Administrative divisions: Syria is divided into 14 governorates, which are sub-divided into 61 districts, which are further divided into sub-districts.
- Capital: Damascus.
- Governance: the politics in the Syrian Arab Republic takes place in the framework of a semi-presidential republic with multiparty representation.
- Population: 18.5 million.
- Currency: Syrian pound.
- GDP: $71.99 billion.
- Time zone: GMT +3.
- Telephone code: +963.
- Barcode: 621.
Trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Syria
The highest trade turnover between Belarus and Syria amounted to $85 million in 2009, Belarusian exports to this country were $66 million.
In subsequent years, exports decreased because of the beginning of the military conflict in the country in 2011, unilateral economic sanctions, imposed by the USA, EU, several Arab and other countries against Syria, an economic crisis, a severe shortage of foreign currency, concentration of resources to ensure security and integrity of the country.
Dynamics of trade between Belarus and Syria (in million U.S. dollars)
|
Year |
Turnover |
Exports |
Imports |
Surplus |
|
2008 |
85.5 |
66.2 |
19.2 |
47.0 |
|
2009 |
57.7 |
55.4 |
2.3 |
53.1 |
|
2010 |
47.6 |
39.5 |
8.1 |
31.4 |
|
2011 |
30.3 |
11.8 |
18.5 |
-6.7 |
|
2012 |
28.1 |
24.4 |
3.7 |
20.7 |
|
2013 |
8.9 |
0.6 |
8.3 |
-7.7 |
|
2014 |
33.8 |
32.2 |
1.6 |
30.6 |
|
2015 |
41.9 |
25.3 |
16.6 |
8.7 |
|
January — September 2016 |
29.9 |
27.4 |
2.5 |
24.9 |
|
January — September 2016 as compared to January — September 2015, % |
85.4 |
149.2 |
14.9 |
— |
In January — September 2016, trade turnover between Belarus and Syria amounted to $29.9 million, Belarusian exports increased by 49.2% to $27.4 million as compared to the same period of 2015. Trade surplus was $24.9 million. The products of 24 commodity heading were supplied to Syria (the products of 6 commodity heading were supplied within the same period of 2015). The main export items were MAZ cars ($3.8 million), medicaments ($334.8 thousand), oxidation retarders and gum inhibitors ($117.4 thousand), trailers and semi-trailers ($82.3 thousand), semi-tractors ($43.3 thousand).
There are 71 companies with Syrian capital in Belarus.
Belarus's most promising products to export to Syria:
- Food products (wheat, milk in powder, butter, sugar, sunflower oil, baby food, meat products);
- Medicaments, medical products and equipment;
- Generators, transformers, electrical equipment;
- Vehicles;
- Metal products.
This article has been prepared on the basis of information provided by the National Centre for Marketing and Price Study of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Syrian Arab Republic, and taken from public sources. The information presented herein is for informative purposes only. In this regard, it may be useful for the companies, which have been working in Syria for a long time, as well as for those, which are going to enter this market. Any questions, feedbacks and comments concerning this article are welcome. All of them will be fully considered and taken into account, if possible. If you have any information that may be interesting and useful for the visitors of this page, please write to us.
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