Coordinator of the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s (SOC) Caesar Act Follow-up Team, Abdel Majid Barakat, said that the establishment of new private airlines in Syria by the Assad regime, despite the heavy losses airlines are incurring around the world, are aimed at dodging the Caesar Act sanctions.
Barakat said that in all its meetings with US officials, the SOC warned of the Assad regime’s ability to circumvent the sanctions by relying on a parallel economy through Arab and foreign agents.
Barakat added that through its economic relations, the Assad regime is trying to establish new companies to act as an alternative to its aviation sector which is on the US sanctions list.
Moreover, Barakat indicated that the Caesar Act is yet to yield tangible results on the regime’s economy despite the issuance of three lists of those covered by the sanctions.
He said that the Act still focuses on the political and media aspects by including names in the sanctions that have nothing to do with the economy. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
