The South African MTN company, which is one of the cellular operators in Syria, announced yesterday that it is leaving this market on the grounds that "it is no longer possible" to work in the Syrian market. This announcement is a great victory for the wife of President Asma al-Assad who in recent years has increased her grip on the Syrian economy.
MTN's announcement comes after the Syrian regime embittered the company's life and took it to court on the grounds that it withheld revenue, which it denied outright. Of course, the conditions in the market subject to sanctions did not make it easier for the company from South Africa either.
In any case, the announcement of the abandonment of the Syrian market comes after a deal was apparently signed between MTN and the Syrian company "Telinvest", which is headed by people close to Asma. The president's wife's takeover of a cellular operator in Syria reflects the situation in the Syrian economy, according to which regime insiders, Russians and Iranians are struggling to control the remaining assets in it.