Saudi Arabia, IMF, World Bank Stress Int’l Commitment to Syria’s Economic Recovery

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga are seen at Friday's meeting. (SPA)
Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga are seen at Friday's meeting. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, IMF, World Bank Stress Int’l Commitment to Syria’s Economic Recovery

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga are seen at Friday's meeting. (SPA)
Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga are seen at Friday's meeting. (SPA)

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga stressed on Friday their commitment to Syria’s economic recovery.

Meeting on the sidelines of the 2025WBG/IMF spring meetings in Washington, they co-hosted a high-level roundtable for Syria, bringing together the Syrian authorities, finance ministers, and key stakeholders from multilateral and regional financial institutions, as well as economic and development partners.

“Building on earlier discussions – including at the Paris Conference on Syria (February 13), the AlUla roundtable on February 16 and Brussels IX conference (March 17) — this event provided a platform for the Syrian authorities to present their ongoing efforts to stabilize and rebuild their country, reduce poverty, and achieve long-term economic development,” they said in a joint statement.

“There was broad recognition of the urgent challenges facing the Syrian economy and a collective commitment to support the authorities' efforts for recovery and development. Priority will be given to efforts to meet the critical needs of the Syrian people, institutional rebuilding, capacity development, policy reforms, and the development of a national economic recovery strategy,” it added.

“The IMF and WBG were called upon to play a key role in providing support in line with their mandates and reflecting shareholders' support, in close coordination with multilateral and bilateral partners,” it continued.

“We welcome the efforts to help Syria reintegrate with the international community and unlock access to resources, to support the authorities' policy efforts, address early recovery and reconstruction needs, and promote private-sector development and job creation,” read the statement. “We also support the Syrian authorities' efforts to strengthen governance and increase transparency as they build effective institutions that deliver for the people of Syria.”

“We extend our gratitude to all participants for their valuable contributions and commitment to support efforts by the Syrian authorities to rebuild Syria and improve the lives of the Syrian people,” it stressed.

The officials will convene again at the annual meetings of the IMF and WBG in October 2025 to monitor the progress achieved and harmonize global efforts in advancing Syria's economic-recovery and prosperity.



Air France-KLM to Take Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airline SAS

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on July 04, 2025 shows a Scandinavian airline SAS plane flying over Heathrow airport on the outskirts of London on January 15, 2024 (top) and an Air France-KLM plane taking off from Tegel 'Otto Lilienthal' Airport in Berlin on November 8, 2020. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS and Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on July 04, 2025 shows a Scandinavian airline SAS plane flying over Heathrow airport on the outskirts of London on January 15, 2024 (top) and an Air France-KLM plane taking off from Tegel 'Otto Lilienthal' Airport in Berlin on November 8, 2020. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS and Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
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Air France-KLM to Take Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airline SAS

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on July 04, 2025 shows a Scandinavian airline SAS plane flying over Heathrow airport on the outskirts of London on January 15, 2024 (top) and an Air France-KLM plane taking off from Tegel 'Otto Lilienthal' Airport in Berlin on November 8, 2020. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS and Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on July 04, 2025 shows a Scandinavian airline SAS plane flying over Heathrow airport on the outskirts of London on January 15, 2024 (top) and an Air France-KLM plane taking off from Tegel 'Otto Lilienthal' Airport in Berlin on November 8, 2020. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS and Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

Air France-KLM plans to increase its stake in Scandinavian airline SAS to 60.5%, the latest step towards consolidating Europe's fragmented airline sector as carriers seek to strengthen their position against rivals.

The Franco-Dutch airline group said on Friday it intended to increase its stake from 19.9% currently by acquiring the stakes held by top shareholders Castlelake and Lind Invest.

The purchase, subject to regulatory clearances, is expected to close in the second half of 2026, Reuters quoted Air France-KLM as saying.

The value of the investment would be determined at closing, based on SAS's latest financial performance, including core earnings (EBITDA) and net debt, the company said. It declined to give details on those metrics.

Air France-KLM expects to generate "three-digit million" euros in synergies from raising its SAS stake, Air France-KLM finance chief Steven Zaat told analysts on a call.

Zaat said the deal would be funded from cash or a "plain vanilla bond" and would not impact the drive to reduce the group's hybrid debt. "We have ample room for it," he said.

Air France-KLM shares were flat in early trading.

JPMorgan analysts said there were reasons to be positive about the deal.

"SAS offers deeper access to a GDP-rich region in Scandinavia, there will now be an opportunity to unlock cost synergies as SAS becomes a subsidiary of the group," they said in a note, adding that "industry consolidation should also be viewed positively for the whole sector, even if not game-changing in terms of size."

INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION

SAS welcomed Air France-KLM's announcement.

"European consolidation had to happen further, and we're very happy to be part of that," SAS CEO Anko van der Werff told Danish broadcaster TV2.

"In the current setup where Air France-KLM is a 19.9% shareholder, they're still a competitor," he said. "With the new stake, going above 50%, we can really tap into all of those synergies and offer those benefits to customers."

SAS said it would continue to invest in its fleet and network.

In 2023, Air France-KLM said it would invest about $144.5 million for its initial SAS stake, boosting its presence in Sweden, Denmark and Norway with the option to become a controlling shareholder after a minimum of two years, subject to conditions.

SAS exited from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August last year.

The two carriers have already had a commercial cooperation since summer 2024. Control of SAS would allow Air France-KLM to expand in the Scandinavian market and create additional value for shareholders, Air France-KLM said in a statement.

"Following their successful restructuring, SAS has delivered impressive performance, and we are confident that the airline's potential will continue to grow through deeper integration within the Air France-KLM Group," said Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith.

The deal comes as executives seek more consolidation in Europe's fragmented airline industry, which they say is needed to compete with US and Middle Eastern rivals.

Earlier this year, Germany's Lufthansa bought a 41% stake in Italy's ITA Airways and a stake in Air Baltic. The Portuguese government is looking to privatize its national carrier TAP.

Lufthansa and Air France are also in talks about buying a stake in Spain's Air Europa.
SAS has 138 aircraft in service and carried more than 25 million passengers last year, generating revenues of 4.1 billion euros ($4.8 billion).

Air France-KLM group would have a majority of seats on the board of directors, while the Danish state will keep its 26.4% stake in SAS and its seats on the board.