MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. The positive experience of Russia-China cooperation can be extended to Syria. Moscow is in favor of involving the Chinese side in the process of that country’s reconstruction, Russia’s special presidential representative for the Syrian settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev, told TASS in an interview.
He stressed that the issue of restoring the Syrian economy must be approached jointly, including "the possibility of plugging China into this process."
"There was a question regarding China. They have a fairly large interest towards the Syrian market and seek lasting presence on it. I believe that a great deal could be done in this respect. China and Iran have very wide relations. The same is true of China and Russia. This positive experience can be combined and applied to the Syrian territory to provide support and assistance. This would help move the socio-economic situation in the right direction," Lavrentiev said.
Moscow and Tehran also discussed the need for coordinating efforts along these lines "and not putting a spoke in each other's wheels in concluding profitable or unprofitable contracts." Lavrentiev added that Russia was providing all possible assistance, within its capabilities, both in terms of humanitarian assistance to the Syrians and in projects for the development of the country's economic recovery, such as the construction of new power generating facilities.
"At the latest meeting of the coordinating centers in Damascus, which took place just recently, there were many representatives of business organizations, private businesses, state structures, which concluded a fairly large number of various agreements. The intergovernmental commission has outlined quite a few joint projects for implementation," he concluded.