Qatars Duty To Help Syria, Global Debt Poses Economic Crisis: Finance Minister

DAVOS: Qatar considers it a duty to support Syria and its new administration after 14 years of devastating civil war, Qatari Finance Minister Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari said on Wednesday.

The cost of reconstructing Syria is estimated at $400 billion, as the country needs to rebuild the housing, industrial and energy infrastructure damaged during the conflict.

Since 2011, Qatar supported Syrian opposition factions that captured the seat of power in Damascus in early December 2024.

Doha also avoided reestablishing diplomatic relations during the twilight months of the Assad regime, which rejoined the Arab League in 2023.

Al-Kuwari, who visited Syria last week, said: “The whole world is supposed to help Syria (right now). The words and promises from the leadership there are promising and very positive.”

He added that the new leadership, led by rebel-turned-statesman Ahmed Al-Sharaa, recognizes that the task ahead is transitioning from insurgency to building Syrian institutions.

“This task will need the help of the world. We can’t afford Syria going back to the (years) of bloodshed again,” Al-Kuwari said.

“We’ll invest in education (to help the Syrians) because educated people will work hard, they’ll make money, they’ll prosper and grow.”

The Qatari minister made these comments during the “Navigating the Fiscal Squeeze” panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which discussed challenges for financial growth, global debt and rising inflation.

The panel included speakers from the International Monetary Fund, the UCLA School of Law, the London Stock Exchange Group, and Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube.

Qatar has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, making it one of the wealthiest nations due to its abundant natural gas and oil reserves.

However, the country dealt with several challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an inflation rate of 5 percent in 2022.

Doha was not alone in facing these difficulties; the pandemic contributed to a nearly 4.4 percent contraction of the global economy in 2020. 

Al-Kuwari said Qatar is pursuing a policy of fiscal discipline, which has allowed the country to maintain a budget surplus and low debt levels, as well as effectively manage any economic challenges it encounters.

“We’ve developed a medium-term fiscal policy framework for the upcoming 20 years, with different scenarios of revenues based on oil prices, taxation and spending scenarios ... (Based on that) we decide to invest or save,” he said, adding that the fiscal deficit and rising borrowing affecting many countries are “problems that few want to discuss,” which poses the threat of a financial crisis.

An IMF report projected that global debt — including government, business and personal borrowing — will exceed $100 trillion, about 93 percent of global gross domestic product, by the end of 2024. It is expected to reach 100 percent of GDP by 2030.

“There will be a huge impact if we don’t do anything about it today,” Al-Kuwari warned. “So many people focus on economic growth and creating quick wins for their economy while the fiscal issues get forgotten.

“The fiscal balance should complement the economic growth, and we shouldn’t have growth at the expense of the fiscal.”