Saudi Arabia and Qatar will provide joint financial support to state employees in Syria over a three-month period, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced during a visit to Damascus on Saturday. The initiative was confirmed in a joint statement following Bin Farhan's meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. While the exact value of the aid was not disclosed, it mirrors a previous Qatari initiative to support Syria's public sector. The statement also noted that Riyadh and Doha had earlier contributed to settling Syria's $15 million arrears to the World Bank in April. Bin Farhan said the kingdom played a key role in pushing for the recent lifting of US and European sanctions on Syria, and pledged continued Saudi support for the country's reconstruction. He added that his delegation included senior economic officials to explore cooperation opportunities. The Saudi visit comes as Syria's new leadership seeks to deepen ties with Arab states and attract Gulf investments in key sectors such as energy, agriculture, and infrastructure. Attribution: Reuters Subediting: M. S. Salama
