Saudi Arabia and Qatar have pledged to pay off Syria's debt to the World Bank, removing one obstacle to the country's new leadership receiving funds from the international lender as it struggles to revive its war-torn economy. Bloomberg reports, UNN informs.
Details
It is noted that the Gulf countries announced their commitment to pay approximately $15 million after high-level discussions on post-war Syria on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
However, U.S. sanctions imposed on the administration of former President Bashar Assad remain a major obstacle to Syria receiving the support it needs to recover from a prolonged civil war. The conflict, which has killed more than 600,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, has almost halved Syria's GDP since 2010.
The publication also points out that Republican congressmen Cory Mills and Marlin Stutzman visited Damascus last week and met with Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa "during an unofficial trip organized by influential Syrian Americans." Mills said he held talks with Sharaa on the terms of a partial lifting of economic sanctions and will hand over a letter from Sharaa to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Let us remind
At the end of March, Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa announced the formation of a new government after the fall of the Assad regime. He promised that the new Syrian government would rebuild state institutions based on "accountability and transparency."