Latest news with #Damascus
Arab News
22 minutes ago
- Business
- Arab News
Kurdish delegation heads to Damascus for talks
DAMASCUS: A delegation from northeast Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration was headed to Damascus on Saturday for talks on implementing a March deal to integrate Kurdish institutions into the state, a member of the delegation said. Under the agreement signed by Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurds are to integrate their civil and military institutions into the national government. The deal includes all border crossings, oil and gas fields, and a regional airport. A member of the Kurdish delegation said that 'a delegation from the autonomous administration is on the way to Damascus to discuss' details of the March deal. Despite the accord, the Kurds have criticized a constitutional declaration announced by the new authorities, who took power after ousting Bashar Assad in December, and said the new government failed to reflect the Syrian Arab Republic's diversity. Last month, Syrian Kurdish parties adopted a joint vision of a 'decentralized democratic state,' a move rejected by Damascus, which warned against attempts at separatism or federalism by the minority group. The March agreement states that the Kurds are an 'essential component of the Syrian state,' guaranteeing the 'right to citizenship and all ... constitutional rights.' Syria's Kurds suffered marginalization and repression under Assad's rule, being deprived of the right to speak their language and celebrate their holidays and, in many cases, of Syrian nationality. Earlier this month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani warned that delaying the implementation of the deal would 'prolong the chaos' in the country. In an interview broadcast by Shams TV, based in Irbil in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, SDF chief Abdi said that 'we are committed to what was agreed with Damascus and we are currently working on implementing this agreement.' He emphasized the need for a 'decentralized Syria where all its components live with their full rights and nobody is excluded.' But he accused Syria's new authorities of wanting centralization and of 'not being ready for everyone to live in Syria.' Kurdish-led forces took control of much of Syria's northeast, including its oil fields, during the country's civil war and the Daesh insurgency. With support from a US-led international coalition, the Kurdish-led SDF played a key role in Daesh's territorial defeat in Syria in 2019. Abdi said all Syrians should benefit from Syria's oil wealth but said the Kurds wanted 'an autonomous administration to govern locally and for the people of the area to manage security and political institutions.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Saudi Arabia says it will jointly fund Syria state salaries with Qatar
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said that the kingdom and Qatar will offer joint financial support to state employees in Syria. His statements came on Saturday during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani in Damascus. The two Gulf nations have been among the most important regional supporters of Syria's new authorities, who ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of war. Saturday's statement did not provide details on the exact amount of the support for Syria's public sector. However, it comes after Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh said earlier in May that Qatar was going to provide Syria with $29m per month for an initial three months to pay civilian public sector worker salaries. The Reuters news agency had also reported that the United States had given its blessing to the Qatari initiative, which came a few days before President Donald Trump announced that sanctions on Syria imposed during the al-Assad regime would be lifted. The European Union has since also lifted sanctions on Syria. Further evidence of Saudi Arabian and Qatari support came in mid-May, when it was announced that the two countries had paid off Syria's debt to the World Bank, a sum of roughly $15m. Syria's new government, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to rebuild the country's diplomatic ties and convince wary Western states that he has turned his back on past ties with groups such as al-Qaeda. The Syrian leader has repeatedly disavowed extremism and expressed support for minorities, but incidents of violence that has led to hundreds of deaths continue to cause international trepidation – even as the government and al-Sharaa denounce the killings. Syria's new government has also made a concerted effort to solidify ties to Gulf Arab states who have begun to play a pivotal role in financing the reconstruction of Syria's war-ravaged infrastructure and reviving its Tuesday, the European Union announced it had adopted legal acts lifting all economic restrictive measures on Syria except those based on security grounds. It also removed 24 entities from the EU list of those subject to the freesing of funds and economic resources, including the Central Bank of Syria. And after Saudi Arabia and Qatar cleared Syria's debt to the World Bank, the US-based financial institution said that it would restart operations in the country following a 14-year pause. The World Bank has begun to prepare its first project in Syria, which will focus on improving electricity access – a key pillar for revitalising essential services like healthcare, education, and water supply. It also marked the start of expanded support to stabilise Syria and boost long-term growth. Syria's gradual re-integration into the global economy is in large part due to Trump's dramatic shift in Washington's policies towards the country. After announcing the lifting of US sanctions on May 13, Trump also became the first US president in 25 years to meet with a Syrian counterpart. The US had already removed a $10m reward for the capture of al-Sharaa, and the Syrian president has been able to travel internationally and meet world leaders, including in Saudi Arabia and France. Still, there is a lot to be done. A February report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to return to the economic level it had before the war, and it called for massive investment to accelerate the process. The UNDP study said nine out of 10 Syrians now live in poverty, one-quarter are jobless and Syria's gross domestic product 'has shrunk to less than half of its value' in 2011, the year the war began.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat lands in Syria in new sign of support
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday arrived in Damascus for cooperation talks, in a fresh sign of the oil-wealthy monarchy's support to Syria's new leaders. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hosted a meeting in Riyadh between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the first encounter between the leaders of the two countries in 25 years. During his trip to Saudi Arabia, Trump announced the lifting of all US sanctions on Syria. Following his arrival in Damascus with a high-level economic delegation, bin Farhan met al-Sharaa and reiterated Saudi support for the war-shattered country. During the visit, the Saudi officials will hold talks with their Syrian counterparts with the aim of supporting Syria's economy, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Bin Farhan said on Saturday in Damascus that Saudi Arabia and Qatar would jointly offer financial support for public sector workers in Syria. He did not give further details. Last month, the two energy-rich Gulf countries said they would settle Syria's outstanding arrears with the World Bank Group, amounting to some $15 million. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been major supporters of Syria's new leadership since the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Al-Assad, who governed Syria for more than two decades, was overthrown by an Islamist-led rebel alliance commanded by al-Sharaa. Syria's new leadership has since sought to garner world recognition and economic support to rebuild the country.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Saudi Arabia says it will jointly fund Syria state salaries with Qatar
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said that the kingdom and Qatar will offer joint financial support to state employees in Syria. His statements came on Saturday during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani in Damascus. The two Gulf nations have been among the most important regional supporters of Syria's new authorities, who ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of war. Saturday's statement did not provide details on the exact amount of the support for Syria's public sector. However, it comes after Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh said earlier in May that Qatar was going to provide Syria with $29m per month for an initial three months to pay civilian public sector worker salaries. The Reuters news agency had also reported that the United States had given its blessing to the Qatari initiative, which came a few days before President Donald Trump announced that sanctions on Syria imposed during the al-Assad regime would be lifted. The European Union has since also lifted sanctions on Syria. Further evidence of Saudi Arabian and Qatari support came in mid-May, when it was announced that the two countries had paid off Syria's debt to the World Bank, a sum of roughly $15m. Syria's new government, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to rebuild the country's diplomatic ties and convince wary Western states that he has turned his back on past ties with groups such as al-Qaeda. The Syrian leader has repeatedly disavowed extremism and expressed support for minorities, but incidents of violence that has led to hundreds of deaths continue to cause international trepidation – even as the government and al-Sharaa denounce the killings. Syria's new government has also made a concerted effort to solidify ties to Gulf Arab states who have begun to play a pivotal role in financing the reconstruction of Syria's war-ravaged infrastructure and reviving its economy. On Tuesday, the European Union announced it had adopted legal acts lifting all economic restrictive measures on Syria except those based on security grounds. It also removed 24 entities from the EU list of those subject to the freesing of funds and economic resources, including the Central Bank of Syria. And after Saudi Arabia and Qatar cleared Syria's debt to the World Bank, the US-based financial institution said that it would restart operations in the country following a 14-year pause. The World Bank has begun to prepare its first project in Syria, which will focus on improving electricity access – a key pillar for revitalising essential services like healthcare, education, and water supply. It also marked the start of expanded support to stabilise Syria and boost long-term growth. Syria's gradual re-integration into the global economy is in large part due to Trump's dramatic shift in Washington's policies towards the country. After announcing the lifting of US sanctions on May 13, Trump also became the first US president in 25 years to meet with a Syrian counterpart. The US had already removed a $10m reward for the capture of al-Sharaa, and the Syrian president has been able to travel internationally and meet world leaders, including in Saudi Arabia and France. Still, there is a lot to be done. A February report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to return to the economic level it had before the war, and it called for massive investment to accelerate the process. The UNDP study said nine out of 10 Syrians now live in poverty, one-quarter are jobless and Syria's gross domestic product 'has shrunk to less than half of its value' in 2011, the year the war began.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia to Provide Financial Support with Qatar to Syria's State Employees, Saudi FM Says
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said on Saturday that the kingdom will jointly offer with Qatar financial support to state employees in Syria. "The kingdom will provide with Qatar joint financial support to state employees in Syria," Bin Farhan said during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani in Damascus. The Saudi FM referred to his country's role in helping to lift economic sanctions on Syria, saying that Saudi Arabia would continue to be one of the main backers to Syria on its path to reconstruction and economic recovery, Reuters reported. He said he was being accompanied by a high-level economic delegation from the kingdom to "hold talks with the Syrian side to bolster aspects of cooperation in various fields". Several visits would then follow in the coming days by Saudi businessmen to Syria to discuss investments in energy, agriculture, infrastructure and other sectors, he said. This comes few weeks after the US made an announcement on lifting sanctions on Syria's new government which overthrew former leader Bashar al-Assad in December. The European Union also recently lifted economic sanctions on Syria.
