On April 27, 2025, Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced a total payment of $15 million to pay Syria‘s debts to the World Bank. This payment allows the World Bank to resume activities in Syria following a 14-year suspension.
The repayment will allow Syria to access financial and technical assistance to provide support necessary to renew institutions and bring about sustainable development after years of damaging conflict.
In their dialogue with the World Bank and IMF during the spring meetings, Qatar and Saudi Arabia argued that international and regional financial institutions need to ramp up development activity in Syria to support its recovery.