Khaberni - The Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara announced today, Friday, a broad package of economic and service measures, at the forefront of which is a 50 percent increase in public salaries and wages, and an increase in salaries for a number of specialized sectors, affirming that solving the problem of camps, enabling citizens to return to their destroyed villages and towns, and improving services top the priorities in the upcoming stage.
After receiving congratulations on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al-Fitr at the People's Palace in Damascus, Al-Shara said: There are many questions about the state's situation during the past year and the course of development and construction in it, and everyone knows that the situation was deteriorating and by numbers, the GDP in 2010 was about 60 billion dollars, but then things worsened, and after the liberation, statistics indicated that it had decreased significantly in 2024.
Economic Growth and Budget Surplus
He added: Government spending in Syria in 2024 reached 2 billion dollars, and in 2025, we achieved a growth rate of about 30 to 35 percent, and the GDP reached about 32 billion dollars, and the level of spending reached 3 billion and a half dollars, and for the first time in Syria a budget surplus was achieved.
He explained that the budget approved for 2026 is estimated at 10 and a half billion dollars, an increase of about three times that of 2025, and five times the budget of 2024, in a major accomplishment achieved within a year and a few months.
He pointed out that it is expected that local production during the current year will reach between 50 and 60 billion dollars, and that it will return to what it was in 2010, which will have a positive impact on services.
Reconstruction and Ending the Camps
Al-Shara emphasized that solving the problem of the camps and enabling people to return to their villages and towns destroyed by the former regime are at the forefront of priorities, pointing to a plan and allocating a good financial amount for rehabilitating the infrastructure in the destroyed villages and towns, especially in the rural areas of Idlib, Aleppo, northern Hama, and northern Latakia, some areas of Eastern Ghouta, Daraa, and Deir ez-Zor, and that there will be a fund to support infrastructure of no less than 3 billion dollars, which will come from government spending, not aids or loans.
Support for Eastern Regions
He pointed out that a special amount will be allocated for the eastern regions, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and Raqqa, to improve services from hospitals, schools, roads, and so forth, explaining that this work will be parallel to improving infrastructure and services in other cities, and that 40 percent of this year's budget will be for services including health, education, and more.
Al-Shara clarified that the liberated areas recently, which constitute about 25 percent of the area of Syria, have returned many resources to the state, which will support the Syrian economy in terms of energy, food, and water.
Service Challenges and Accelerated Plans
He pointed out that there are many difficulties facing the Syrian society and the needs are great, and it is the duty of the state to meet them as much as it can, and that reforming the service reality in Syria needs time because it suffers from a major collapse, and that steps are moving quickly in this area.
Increases in Wages
Al-Shara said: We determined a minimum wage after recommendations from the Ministry of Finance, taking poverty rates into account, and we also approved a 50 percent increase in public salaries and wages for all employees, with specific increases for doctors, engineers, and some specialized institutions like inspection and others.
He added: Upon our arrival in Damascus, we found the wages to be significantly low, and we said that we would increase the wages by 400 percent, and today we have reached an increase with an improvement in the exchange rate to approximately 550 percent with the recent increases, and there are some specific increases that reached 1200 percent.
Empowering Citizens and Enhancing Affiliation
He continued: It is the duty and the task of the state to empower the citizen as much as possible, and this is just the beginning; we work day and night to reach a level befitting the Syrian people, to always hold their heads high, proud of their country and state, and to feel a sense of belonging to it, integrating the role of the authority and the citizen, ensuring everyone's participation in the construction.
The Supervisory Role of the People's Council
Al-Shara pointed out that there is a great responsibility on the People's Council, and that the delay in holding its first session was due to caution until the elections in the newly liberated areas were completed, explaining that the people have many hopes on the council to be their voice in conveying their concerns, and an effective tool to clarify the state of the state, where there will be insight into its programs and strategic plans and monitoring them by the council regularly and directly, and recommendations should be raised to make decisions for the benefit of the people.
Balanced Policy and Staying Away from Conflicts
Regarding the regional situation, Al-Shara said: Syria has always been an arena of conflict and strife over the past 15 years and before, and it is beneficial now to remember that we cannot guarantee much that it will stay away from conflict, but generally, our current stance in the ongoing conflict and due to wise decision-making in public international and regional policies, we are in harmony with all neighboring countries to us regionally and also internationally, and at the same time, we are in solidarity with Arab states fully, and Syria is somewhat insulated from the current conflict, which is very beneficial, as it has always been a mailbox for the major powers competing in the region, where all forces were present in Syria and disputed influence and authority over Syrian geography at the expense of this people, and today we have moved to another stage and a new title, transforming Syria from an arena of conflict and dispute to an influential arena towards stability, security, and sustainability, fitting the internal situation towards the region and what happens with disruptions in it.
He added: What is currently happening is a rare major event in history that we have not seen since World War II, and we are accurately calculating our steps and we have a gold scale that measures every position that Syria currently takes by grams, and we are on the right track trying to keep Syria away from any conflict that brings back the pain and wounds, and to maintain its course in development and construction, and the numbers we mentioned are not the goals envisioned in all our minds as the state's ambition is much larger than this, but these are just the beginnings and God willing, in the coming days, there will be larger numbers and a wider space to reach that every Syrian citizen is completely self-sufficient.
