Qatar Funds Syrian Public Wages as Al-Sharaa Seeks Trump Meeting on Reconstruction
Syria receives a Qatari grant to help pay public wages as Washington greenlights a sanctions exemption; interim president seeks U.S. support for postwar reconstruction.
Watan-Syrian Finance Minister Mohammad Barnya announced Thursday that Syria has received a grant from Qatar to cover part of the public sector’s wage bill, according to the official Syrian news agency (SANA). Barnya added that the U.S. Treasury had granted an exemption from sanctions to facilitate the process.
In a statement published late Wednesday, the minister thanked the Qatari government for the financial support “to cover part of the current wage and salary bill, amounting to $29 million per month for a period of three months, renewable.”
He explained that the grant will go toward salaries in the health, education, and social affairs sectors, as well as pensions for non-military retirees.
Syria Eyes U.S. Partnership as Al-Sharaa Seeks Trump Meeting on Reconstruction Vision
“This is a step we hope will be followed by others to build trust and promote further measures to ease the sanctions,” he added.
Meanwhile, interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to present his reconstruction vision—modeled on the post–World War II Marshall Plan introduced by former Secretary of State George Marshall, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited Syrian officials.
The report stated that al-Sharaa’s reconstruction vision prioritizes Western and American companies over Chinese firms, as the “new Syria” seeks a strong strategic relationship with the United States.
It also mentioned that al-Sharaa has sent a message to the White House requesting a meeting during Trump’s upcoming visit to the Gulf region.
