A joint statement from Qatar and Saudi Arabia regarding the payment of Syria’s arrears at the World Bank Group

The Qatar News Agency “Qena” announced in a statement that “a continuation of the efforts of the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in supporting and accelerating the pace of recovery of the economy of the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic, and in light of what was discussed during the round table meeting on Syria on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, the ministries of finance in both Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the payment of Syria’s arrears at the World Bank Group, which amounts to about 15 million dollars.

This payment will enable the resumption of support and activity of the World Bank Group for Syria, after a break of more than fourteen years, and that will allow Syria to obtain allocations from the World Bank in the coming period to support the urgent sectors, in addition to technical support that will in turn contribute to rebuilding institutions and capacity development and manufacturing and reforming policies to push the pace of development.

The State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on international and regional financial institutions to quickly resume and expand its development work in Syria, concerted its efforts, and support everything that would achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people for a promising future of decent living, which contributes to the stability and prosperity of the region.