Saudi Arabia and Qatar have said they will settle Syria’s outstanding debt to the World Bank, in a step that will help the war-ravaged country access funding for postwar reconstruction and public-sector salaries.
The funding of about $15mn will be the first financial assistance to Syria from Saudi Arabia since the fall last year of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a government that the kingdom had staunchly opposed.
“This commitment will pave the way for the World Bank Group to resume support and operations in Syria after a suspension of more than 14 years,” the two countries said in a joint statement on Sunday during the spring meetings in Washington of the World Bank and IMF.