DAMASCUS, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Prime Minister Emad Khamis has said that the Syrian foreign trade volume in 2017 amounted to 4.9 billion U.S. dollars, over 86 percent of which were imports, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported on Saturday.
The imports of the private industrial production requirements valued 3.36 billion dollars in 2017, Khamis said, adding that the exports have expanded from reaching 80 countries in 2016 to 105 countries in 2017.
He said 10 Syrian fairs home and abroad had been supported, pointing out that 194 contracts were signed for exports during the Damascus International Fair last year.
Khamis said that 14,000 establishments in industrial zones across the country have returned operative.
Meanwhile, the prime minister added that support for the health sector annually ranges between 120 to 150 billion Syrian pounds (around 349 million dollars), stressing that the Syrian government has worked since the first day of the crisis to deal with the challenges imposed by the war.
Moreover, Khamis said the Syrian government is currently working on several future strategies, including supporting the national project of administrative reform and a project called "Syria After War," which concerns enhancing the institutional structures, fighting corruption and developing infrastructure.
The Syrian government has been subject to sets of Western sanctions against the backdrop of the conflict in Syria, with government officials repeatedly saying that such sanctions target the livelihood of the Syrian people.
