Qatar intends to support Syrian government wage increases: Reuters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
7 Jan 2025 21:41
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The assistance has been facilitated by a US sanctions waiver issued on Monday, allowing financial transactions with Syrian governing institutions for six months.

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This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA shows the foreign minister for the interim Syrian government Asaad al-Shaibani (L) meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani in Doha on January 5, 2025. (SANA/AFP)

Qatar intends to support the substantial increase in public sector wages pledged by Syria's new government, a US official and a senior diplomat told Reuters, a month after the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group ousted Bashar al-Assad.

The assistance has been facilitated by a US sanctions waiver issued on Monday, allowing financial transactions with Syrian governing institutions for six months.

An Arab official confirmed that discussions regarding Qatar's funding of Syrian government salaries are ongoing, with no final agreement yet. The official also noted that other countries, including Saudi Arabia, might participate in the initiative.

Saudi Arabia remains committed to collaborating with regional and international partners to support Syria, a Saudi official told Reuters, adding that Riyadh's current aid efforts are concentrated on humanitarian assistance, including provisions of food, shelter, and medical supplies.

Qatar, a long-standing supporter of the Syrian opposition against al-Assad, had actively lobbied Washington to secure the sanctions exemption, enabling it to provide funding through official channels, the American official and the diplomat revealed.

Armed factions, led by HTS, seized power from al-Assad on December 8 in a swift offensive. The newly formed interim government has since promised a 400% wage increase for public sector employees.

According to the new Syrian Finance Minister, the expanded salary bill amounts to approximately $120 million per month, covering over 1.25 million public sector workers.

While the Syrian Finance Ministry has not confirmed foreign funding for salaries, it acknowledged receiving general pledges of support.

HTS, designated a terrorist organization by Washington, has distanced itself from its former ties to al-Qaeda and adopted a more moderate stance in recent years. The new leadership has committed to launching an inclusive political process uniting Syria's diverse ethnic and religious groups.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani made his first official overseas visit to Riyadh last week, followed by trips to the UAE, Qatar, and Jordan.

Qatar, a wealthy Gulf nation with significant influence in international diplomacy, has moved quickly to build ties with the new Syrian government. It has reopened its embassy in Damascus, sent senior officials to the capital, and resumed regular Qatar Airways flights between Doha and Damascus as of Tuesday.

Doha severed official relations with the al-Assad regime in 2011 and consistently opposed attempts by several Arab nations to reconcile with Damascus in recent years.