Media said the Syrian economy is critical due to lack of foreign currency

The Syrian economy is in a critical condition due to the almost complete absence of foreign currency in circulation. This was stated by the head of the transitional government of Syria Mohammed al-Bashir on December 11.

"There are only Syrian pounds left in the treasury, which are practically worthless. One US dollar can buy 35 thousand of our pounds," Reuters quoted him as saying.

He said the government needs to urgently find funds to rebuild the economy, provide millions of refugees who have to return home with essential goods and boost services in the country.

"We don't have foreign currency and as far as loans and bonds are concerned, we are still collecting data. So, yes, in terms of finances, our affairs are very bad," he added.

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Earlier, on December 8, political scientist, orientalist, author of the Telegram channel "Eastern Gate" Andrei Ontikov told Izvestia that it is difficult to make forecasts on the situation in Syria, as there are several possible scenarios. According to him, the first scenario implies that the country will plunge into chaos, following the example of Libya, and Syria may become lost for years.

On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left his post after negotiations with the opposition and left the country, instructing to carry out the transfer of power peacefully. Russia later confirmed that Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow.

Also that day, Syria's national coalition of revolutionary and opposition forces said it was working to form a transitional authority. The country's Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said most government officials remain in Damascus and he himself is ready to cooperate with any elected leadership.

Amid these developments, Israel announced the deployment of forces along the Syrian border. The country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the delineation agreement with Syria has been terminated due to the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

On December 11, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian side maintains contacts with the forces in control of Syria. He also noted that the Kremlin is closely monitoring what is happening in Syria.

The situation in Syria has escalated as a result of a major attack by armed formations in Aleppo and Idlib, which began on November 28 and led to the Syrian army's retaliatory actions against the militants.