In the second part of the interview with Nikolai Sukhov, leading research fellow at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, New Eastern Outlook inquired about the Russian House in Damascus and the state of Russian business in Syria.
– You headed the Russian House in Damascus for 7 years. Did staying in Damascus change your understanding of Syria and your views on certain things?
– I should clarify that I worked for the UN for two years and headed the Russian House in Damascus for four and a half years. In total, I was there for almost seven years. From October 2017, to August 2019, I worked in the office of the UN Special Representative as a Senior Political Officer in Damascus. Then I left, and in March 2020, just before the borders were closed because of COVID-19, I came to reopen the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Damascus. The centre was called the Russian Cultural Centre. The name ‘Russian House’ is a Primakov-era innovation.
Since the 60s, ‘al-markaz al-thaqafi al-rusi’ [‘Russian Cultural Centre’ in Arabic] has been a well-established phrase throughout the Arab world.
Generations of people have passed through these centres. One can meet grandfathers, grandmothers, children who visit to these centres in all countries where they are present.
I cannot say that my stay in Syria has radically changed my view of the country. Firstly, I visited the country several times previously. Secondly, I studied the country, as well as other Arab countries, within the framework of my professional training.
Syria is very diverse. Its regions differ significantly from each other. For example, Damascus, i.e. central Syria, is closer to Lebanon or vice versa. This is mainly cultural, in terms of dialect, traditions, cuisine. Aleppo or Suweida are entirely different.
Deir ez-Zor is culturally and linguistically close to Iraq. Their dialectal features are the same as those of the Iraqis.
I knew these things before coming to Syria. The first years of my stay convinced me that my ideas about Arabs were not far from the true picture.
– Does Russian business still operate in the Syrian Arab Republic after the new government came to power? Are there any prospects for Russian companies to work in Syria now?
– I believe all Russian business was evacuated, although according to unverified data, the office of ‘Stroytransgaz’ remained, though it seems to have been closed since. Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with any reliable information. It is better to contact the Ministry of Economic Development on this issue. In any case, the Russian trade mission was shut down and all economic departments at the embassy were evacuated.
This is from an official point of view. Russian business as a whole was hardly present in Syria. There was ‘Stroytransgaz’, which had contracts for a port in Tartus, a phosphate processing plant in Homs and more.
These long-term contracts were already suspended by the government of Bashar al-Assad due to non-fulfilment of obligations by both sides.
– What are the specifics of doing business in Syria?
– Unfortunately, any attempts to conduct business in the Arab world – and in Syria particularly – show the inability of Russian business to work in the Middle East, its lack of knowledge. An amateur level of knowledge, in my opinion, will not suffice, and I say this not only based on my Syrian experience. One should always resort to the services of specialists and not wade into murky, unknown waters.
Unfortunately, in any country – and Europe is no exception – any newcomer is first met by crooks and scammers, and then, having lost money and time, this newcomer returns home and says, “you cannot deal with these Arabs”, and serious Arab businessmen say “you cannot deal with these Russians because they are trying to solve everything via correspondence and phone calls”. However, one must sit and drink coffee for a month, two, three. Arabs have a completely different business culture. It is necessary to make friends first. Unfortunately, our people do not accept this code of conduct, and the Arab side rejects our approach.
Also, such important things as studying one’s potential partner from the point of view of his family background, his connections, not to mention his business reputation, has not and is not considered by Russian business, which leads to failure.
Our successful projects are usually large-scale and state-owned. When Russia finances a project, such as the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt, a lot of resources are allocated. Such projects also attract specialists, Arabists. Ruslan Mammadov worked there for two or three years as a translator. He was more than a translator: a communicator.
Such projects inspire hopes of success, but private business can only succeed in Arab countries if it takes into account the aforementioned minimum conditions.
– How does Syrian business fare in Russia?
– Many Syrians have been doing business in Russia. Thus, they ensure both turnover and contacts. Syrians adapt much more easily to our cultural and business environment, and achieve successful long-term projects.
They are mainly engaged in trading. Now, against the background of explosive emigration, Syrians can find everything in our country due to the extensive Syrian diaspora, that has been present since Soviet times, that helps new arrivals.
Some of my friends still hope that they will be able to continue supplying agricultural products from the new Syria to Russia, but I doubt that very much; there is no sea transportation, no maritime route, which was also a problem in the last years of Assad’s rule.
There needs to be a regular maritime route. It would be very popular and profitable. My statement is not unfounded; there are existing such calculations. Syria needs Russian oil products and machinery, and Russia is a large market for Syrian agricultural products.
The authorities from both sides should create favourable conditions for such trade, but exactly the opposite is happening. Under the current Syrian authorities, it is quite scary to go to Syria.
In the autumn, before the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, it was planned to launch a commercial shipping line from Latakia to Novorossiysk. There was not a single successful trip made because the Russian customs in Novorossiysk did not give the go-ahead for unknown reasons.
Moreover, the first ship, the first round trip, was immediately equipped with agricultural products there and expected to return with petroleum products. That is all I know about business.
To be continued…
Interview by Vanessa SEVIDOVA, correspondent and author for New Eastern Outlook
