The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has imposed on dentists and pharmacists with foreign degrees to have their certificates equalized at its institutions starting from the middle of this April.

AANES’ Health Authority, on Thursday, April 4, said that based on the law of practicing medical professions it has, those with non-Syrian certificates in the two fields must equalize their certificates at its institutions.

It added that as a first step, the person must head to the Health Authority in the area where they reside, to find out about the documents required to complete the certificate equivalency.

AANES has designated a committee to complete the transaction, which it named the Certificate Equivalence Committee in the Health Authority.

It pointed out that the circular will take effect from April 13 of this year until the beginning of next May.

The talk of certificate equivalency in AANES’ institutions dates back to April 2022, when a draft of the Public Health Law was discussed, and a clause on certificate equivalency was included in it.

Since the beginning of this year, AANES has issued a series of decisions aimed at regulating its work in various fields, the latest of which was restricting media work in its controlled areas in northeast Syria, and pursuing those working in unlicensed media outlets.

It also imposed a separate circular on licensed and operating media in its controlled areas, to provide it with information about the employees and the staff, and to disclose the background of its employees upon request.

Also, in the past March, AANES issued a decision that requires obtaining a license for producing recorded programs for Ramadan within its areas of control.

In mid-February of the previous year, AANES stopped the licenses of several local humanitarian organizations active in the areas under its control, without explaining the reasons, and also imposed on the active political parties in its controlled areas to obtain licenses to conduct work.

December 2023 witnessed the issuance of the Executive Instructions for Cross-Border Money Transfers by the Central Monetary and Payments Office affiliated with the Anti-Money Laundering Directorate in its areas, and included cash funds in the form of notes and coins, in the local currency or any other currency.

This was followed by a decision aimed at regulating the licensing of local and foreign banks in its areas of control, pursuant to which it prohibited the use of words bank, and banking, or their equivalents in any language in its official documents, prints, business title, name, or commercial advertising unless it had obtained a license from its affiliated Monetary Office.