Saudi Arabia And Qatar Offer More Help To Syria

Saudi Arabia and Qatar will offer joint financial support to Syria’s state employees, the latest international effort to revitalize the war-torn Middle Eastern country following more than a decade of civil conflict, Al Jazeera reported. 

On Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud announced the move during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, in the Syrian capital of Damascus. 

While he did not disclose the exact amount the two Gulf nations would provide to Syria, his statement comes after Syrian officials said last month that Qatar will bankroll the Syrian public sector with $29 million per month for an initial three months, Reuters added. 

The two Gulf countries have become the biggest regional supporters of Syria’s new government and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose militia ousted longtime President Bashar Assad in December after nearly 14 years of war. Last month, Riyadh and Doha paid off Syria’s debt of around $15 million to the World Bank. 

The debt payment came as the Trump administration announced it would lift sanctions imposed on Syria during Assad’s regime. The European Union also lifted most sanctions. 

Following Assad’s ouster, al-Sharaa and his administration have sought to rebuild Syria’s diplomatic ties and revive the country’s war-torn economy.  

The United Nations Development Fund estimated that Syria would need more than five decades to return to its pre-war economy, adding that around 90 percent of the population currently lives in poverty. 

Al-Sharaa – who was previously affiliated with extremist groups, such as al Qaeda – has repeatedly sought to assure Western nations that he has cut ties with jihadist groups and has expressed support for minorities in the country. 

However, the new government has been hit with outbreaks of deadly sectarian violence, leading to hundreds of deaths. 

Meanwhile, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for two attacks on Syrian security forces over the weekend, the first since Assad was ousted, CNN wrote. 

The terrorist group previously held large swaths of Syrian territory until the end of 2017.