Syria faces "brain-drain" due to growing economic hardship amid ongoing conflict

Thirteen years after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the country is facing a huge "brain-drain" due to growing economic hardship, with many young people who grew up during the war forced to leave their homes in search of greener pastures.

The ongoing conflict is casting its shadow across the country, marked by widespread displacement, inadequate services, as well as infrastructure and economic collapse.

In the central Syrian province of Hama, towering mountains and long roads have not been able to ward off the consequences of the war from this place. Youssef is one of the most outstanding students from a remote mountainous village. After completing seven years of medical school, he decided to leave Syria and work in Germany.

Despite growing up in the midst of war, Youssef feels deeply attached to his hometown.

"I used to swim here when I was a child. I used to swim here. We used to play football on that field. I think it's obvious it's a football field. You see it, a little one. With my cousins and my neighbors and everyone, we used to play from sunrise to sunset," said Youssef.

In 2016, the war reached this remote village. Mortars sporadically landed in the village from the other side of the mountains, resulting in civilian casualties. For the next five or six years, Youssef and the others did not dare to go out.

"It's Idlib [the area controlled by armed opposition groups]. It's right there. It doesn't even have any army there, just the people. It was really sad. Some children died and women, a lot of innocent people (were killed). It's heartbreaking actually. Innocent people just standing, like we're now, having fun, suddenly a missile hit them. And this is really sad. I stayed in the house because it was really dangerous. It lasted actually from 2016 till now," said Youssef.

Before the war, Youssef's family was relatively well off. But after years of conflict, the family is left with almost nothing in hand due to currency devaluation. The average salary in the country is not enough to put food on the table, and young people see no future.

Youssef explained that aside from safety concerns, young people are forced to travel abroad to support themselves. He is his family's hope, and frequently sends money back to Syria to support them.

"The economic conditions are the main reason that force people to travel," said Youssef.

According to Syrian media, the country is losing 80 percent of its doctors and more than half of its engineers, professors and other skilled workers. The Syrian government has introduced a number of measures to help young people find jobs, in an attempt to mitigate the effects of the war.

A report in March by the United Nations (UN) said that 16.7 million people, which makes up roughly 75 percent of the Syrian population, are projected to require humanitarian assistance this year, the highest number of people in need since 2011.

Syria faces "brain-drain" due to growing economic hardship amid ongoing conflict

Syria faces "brain-drain" due to growing economic hardship amid ongoing conflict

Syria faces "brain-drain" due to growing economic hardship amid ongoing conflict

Syria faces "brain-drain" due to growing economic hardship amid ongoing conflict

International observers have welcomed the recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, calling deepened China-U.S. cooperation vital for global stability and positive development.

Xi concluded a three-day state visit to the United States on Friday, where he and Trump reaffirmed their commitment to a constructive, strategically stable relationship guided by fairness, reciprocity, and mutual respect.

In separate interviews with China Central Television, leaders and experts from around the world underscored that efforts to find a proper way for major countries to coexist not only benefit China and the U.S., but also inject much-needed stability and positive energy into global peace and development.

"And having that framework [for cooperation built on the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability] rolled out between China and the U.S. is really important. We know that type of relationship works and it's successful. So we have to ensure that we see more cooperation between states on a global basis," said Catherine Ardagh, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Ireland.

"After 11 years, President Xi is the first Chinese president to visit the United States of America. [For] the number of takeaways in this visit we see, as far as the outcomes, there are more than eight outcomes -- around eight outcomes are there. The world is looking toward this historic meeting," said Tahir Malik, head of the Department of International Relations, the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad, Pakistan.

"So this mutual collaboration and respect between the United States and China sort of sets a standard for stability, growth and development. Certainly, the joint collaborations that the two presidents have set up for continual communication, I think, will be important," said Richard A. Black, the Schiller Institute's representative at the United Nations.

"Strong message of President Xi: The biggest investment of China is friendship, is cooperation, partnership, and not armed -- peaceful solutions for actually the world's problems," said Zijad Becirovic, director of International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies in Slovenia.

"President Xi Jinping's emphasis about sincerity and communication, coexistence as well as effective communication, is timely and I think we are heading for a stable world when these superpowers speak like that and continue coexisting," said Fabian Mutale, political analyst from Zambia.

Xi's visit was at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. It followed Trump's state visit to China back in May.

Xi’s U.S. visit boosts cooperation, world stability: international observers