Prime Minister Inspects Situation of Oil Sector in Light of Sanctions and Current Circumstances

Prime Minister Dr. Riyad Hijab chaired a meeting at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to discuss means of continuing the work of the oil sector and increasing its productivity during the current crisis and the difficulties it faces due to the sanctions imposed on it.

Premier Hijab stressed the important role of oil and gas in supporting the national economy and local development, in addition to meeting the needs of citizens and the industrial and agricultural sectors regarding oil derivatives.

He called for working hard to ensure the continuation of exploration and production operations, protecting oil facilities against terrorist attacks and supplying oil refineries with their needs.

The Premier underlined the need for setting up a mechanism to distribute oil and gas and taking firm measures to prevent illegal trading of these two materials.

Later, the Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources and Directors of oil and gas companies and establishments reviewed the state of work in their sectors, the difficulties and the damage caused by terrorist attacks and means to reduce their effects.

In a statement to the journalists, the Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources said that the meeting focused on the effects of the U.S. and European oil embargo which targets the Syrian citizens and the sabotage acts against oil pipelines that hinder production and pumping.