Syrian officials plan to attend IMF, World Bank meetings in Washington DC, sources say

Syria’s finance minister, foreign minister and central bank chief are planning to attend the annual spring meetings held by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, DC this month, four sources familiar with the plans say.

It will be the first visit to the meetings by a high-level Syrian government delegation in at least two decades and the first high-level visit by Syria’s new authorities to the US since former President Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.

Two of the sources tell Reuters it is unclear whether Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh and Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh have yet received visas to the United States.

Spokespeople for the IMF, World Bank, Syrian foreign ministry, and Syrian presidency do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The other two sources say a high-level meeting focused on reconstruction efforts for Syria could be held on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings.