ISTANBUL

International Monetary Fund (IMF) General Director Kristalina Georgieva said Thursday that the IMF intends to assist Syria in rebuilding its institutions and reintegrating into the global economy.

Georgieva said at a press conference held as part of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings that they had a meeting with Syria this week.

The governor of the Central Bank and the finance minister from Syria attended the Spring Meetings for the first time in more than 20 years, he said, adding: “Our intention is to, first and foremost, help them rebuild institutions so they can plug themselves in the world economy.”

Jihad Azour, director of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department, made evaluations on the talks with Syria at a press conference on Middle East and Central Asian economies.

Pointing out that Syria has been absent from the international arena for the last 15 years due to the war, Azour said the country's interaction with the institution has been quite limited since 2011.

He added that the IMF held its last Article 4 consultation with Syria in 2009.

The international community is actively engaged to see how Syria can recover from a protracted war, Azour said, noting that they held a preparatory meeting in February, where regional institutions and the international community came together and agreed to hold the next follow-up and coordination meeting.

The coordination meeting was also held on Tuesday, he said, adding that representatives of international organizations came together to assess Syria's needs and develop a coordination framework.