IMF Director: We are ready to support Syria and have begun communicating with its officials

Riyadh, SANA- IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, said that “We are ready to support Syria, and communication has already begun between our staff and Syrian officials to understand the needs of the country’s main institutions, such as the Central Bank of Syria.”

“The communication is currently coming to obtain support that enables them to build the capabilities of institutions so that they can perform efficiently in a way that benefits the economy and the people.” Georgieva added in an interview with al Sharq TV on the sidelines of inaugural AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, which kicked off Sunday in the Saudi city of AlULa .

“It is up to the authorities in Damascus to decide what form and speed of communication we will take,” she said of how long it might take the fund to bridge the data gap and launch an initial programme. “Syria is a very important country for its people and for the entire region, and we will move as far as conditions there allow.”

This communication comes after a 16-year hiatus, which created a gap in the Fund’s data and information about the reality of the Syrian economy, as reports by the World Bank and the UN reveal costs that could reach $300 billion for reconstruction in Syria.

Latifa Moammar /Manar Salameh