Damascus, Syria – In a rare and symbolic move, a technical delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has arrived in Syria, the first such visit in nearly 18 years. The mission touched down in Damascus on Sunday and was received by Syrian Transitional Finance Minister Mohammed Yaser Bernia.
The delegation is led by Ron van Rooden, head of the Syria mission, alongside eight experts from five critical divisions of the IMF: Public Finance, Statistics, Monetary and Capital Markets, Legal Affairs, and the Middle East Department.
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According to Syrian state media (SANA), the five-day visit is designed to provide guidance on a range of reform areas, including tax and customs modernization, public debt management, statistical infrastructure, monetary and banking reforms, financial supervision, and anti-money laundering efforts.
This unprecedented visit follows a series of reengagement steps. In April, Syrian officials, including Finance Minister Bernia and Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh, attended the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, where they reportedly expressed formal interest in reviving Syria’s role within the IMF.
While Syria’s IMF membership was never officially suspended, its role became dormant during the war years, largely due to a lack of reliable economic data and diminished technical capacity.
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In a recent interview, Jihad Azour, IMF Director for the Middle East and Central Asia, confirmed that there is now official communication with Damascus. “Syria has requested to reactivate its relationship with the Fund,” he said, adding that the IMF stands ready to support all member states, Syria included.
Azour noted that Syria was absent from the IMF’s latest regional economic outlook because it lacked the data necessary for proper analysis, a gap the current visit may help address.
