The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to pay the debts of Syria to the World Bank

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced that it will pay the debts of Syria of $ 15 million to the World Bank, and perhaps open millions of dollars from assistance and giving a boost to the mission of the new government of rebuilding an economy destroyed by the civil war.

The joint payment of the World Bank will enable the resumption of its support and activities in Syria after more than 14 years. Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said in a joint statement that this would also allow the new Syrian government to reach money and technical support to rebuild institutions and try to accelerate development.

The Syrian government in Damascus, the capital, expressed its “deep gratitude” for this step. “It also opens the door to stimulate cooperation with international institutions to serve recovery and reconstruction issues,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The government in Syria is still facing great obstacles in an attempt to rebuild the country after a war of approximately 14 years The overthrow of Bashar al -Assad In December. The conflict affected the great economy, as the industries were destroyed and the infrastructure was destroyed. more than 90 percent of the Syrians live in povertyAnd one in four unemployed, according to the United Nations. The value of the currency decreased: from 50 Syrian pounds to the US dollar before the war, to about 15,000 when the Assad regime was overthrown.

The situation did not improve significantly. The country’s new rulers, under the leadership of the rebel groups that toppled Mr. Assad, have put in place policies that left the Syrians in More economic pain. Long lines are regularly in banks where people are trying to withdraw money from their accounts, hundreds of civil service employees have been rejected and some public benefits were canceled.

Early hopes that the Western sanctions imposed on Syria are raised to punish the Assad regime quickly. Some governments, including governments in the European Union and Britain, have Penalties reducedThe United States issued a general license, which allowed some exemptions from American restrictions for a period of six months.

But the Trump administration imposed a number of conditions before the sanctions were lifted. This includes preventing Iran and agents from working on Syrian soil.

The United States also expressed concern about the jihadist past The new president, Ahmed Al -SharraAnd its previous links to the base.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar said that their decision was taken during a discussion on Syria on the sidelines of World Bank meetings and IMF In Washington this month.

This event “provided a platform for the Syrian authorities to provide its continuous efforts to achieve stability and rebuild its country, reduce poverty and achieve long-term economic development,” according to a joint statement issued by the Saudi Minister of Finance, the administrative director of the International Monetary Fund and the President of the World Bank, which was issued before the financing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The statement added: “There was widespread recognition of the urgent challenges facing the Syrian economy and collective commitment to support the efforts of the authorities for recovery and development.”

Reham Morish She contributed to the reports from Damascus, Syria.