DAMASCUS: Syrian Arab Republic has carried out its first international bank transaction via the SWIFT system since the outbreak of its 14-year civil war, its central bank governor said on Thursday, a milestone in the country’s push to reintegrate into the global financial system. Abdelkader Husriyeh told Reuters in Damascus that a direct commercial transaction had been carried out from a Syrian to an Italian bank on Sunday, and that transactions with US banks could begin within weeks. “The door is now open to more such transactions,” he said.

DAMASCUS: Syrian Arab Republic has carried out its first international bank transaction via the SWIFT system since the outbreak of its 14-year civil war, its central bank governor…

The bank-to-bank transfer using the SWIFT system was symbolically important, indicating the war-torn country was reintegrating into the global financial community.