Autonomous Administration forms economic crisis team as Caesar’s law will kick in

NORTH & EAST SYRIA – As “Caesar’s” law will start kicking in on Syria from next week, the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) on Monday announced the formation of an economic crisis team to mitigate short and long-term negative consequences of this U.S. law on the livelihood of citizens in the DAA. The team will consist of officials from the Executive Council, the Finance Authority, the Economic and Agriculture Authority, and economic advisors and experts.

According to Elizabeth Gawriye, Deputy co-chair of the DAA Executive Council, the economic crisis team will investigate how the sanction’s law, under the current economic situation and the ongoing depreciation of the Syrian pound against the U.S. Dollar, will affect people’s livelihood, and it will advise and act on appropriate mitigating actions.

Mrs. Gawriye (Syriac Union Party) added that the short-term aim of the economic crisis team is to find a way to help farmers, compensate them for any losses and guarantee the permanent supply of qualitative bread. The team will also closely watch demand and supply of dollars in the market, prevent illegal smuggling from regions of northeastern Syria, and salaries of DAA-civil servants will be adjusted in proportion to any further depreciation of the exchange rate. A longer-term aim of the crisis team is to work towards achieving self-sufficiency in the Region.

It should be noted that U.S. special envoy for North and East Syria William Roebruck previously stated that the sanctions under Caesar’s law, officially the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, would not target or affect North and East of Syria or the Syrian people, but would target the Syrian regime only.