Qatar, Saudi Arabia launch $89 million in joint initiative to support Syria

Qatar and Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday a joint initiative with the United Nations Development Programme to provide $89 million in support to Syria to help sustain essential public services, a joint statement said.

The three-month package, funded by the Qatar Fund for Development and the Saudi Fund for Development, aims to ensure the continuity of essential public services by helping cover part of the salaries of government employees, the statement added.

In May, Saudi Arabia said it would provide, along with Qatar, financial support to state employees in Syria.

That followed an April contribution by both Gulf states to settle about $15 million in Syria's outstanding arrears to the World Bank.

Saudi Arabia has spent months courting Syria's new leaders, aiming to draw closer a country long dominated by Iran and Russia.

In May, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman convinced visiting US President Donald Trump to promise to lift Syria sanctions imposed under the 2019 Caesar Act.

This comes as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa renewed his call on Monday for Washington to formally lift US sanctions, while visiting New York to attend the first U.N. General Assembly of a Syrian leader in nearly six decades.

Speaking at a summit on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly, Sharaa said the sanctions imposed on the previous Syrian leadership were no longer justified and were increasingly seen by Syrians as measures targeting them directly.

"We have a big mission to build the economy," Sharaa said.

"Syria has a diverse workforce. They love to work, it's in its genes. So don't be worried, just lift the sanctions and you will see the results."

On Monday, Sharaa also met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York. He did not respond to a reporter asking if he was hopeful that the U.S. would lift the sanctions.

A State Department readout of the meeting said Rubio underscored the opportunity to "build a stable and sovereign nation" in Syria after Trump's announcement of sanctions relief but did not address sanctions that remain.