Syria to join G7 finance talks in Paris in sign of growing status

By Timour Azhari

RIYADH, May 18 (Reuters) - Syria will take part in a closed-door session with G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said, in a sign of its growing status less than two years after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh is expected to attend the meeting, the person said, adding that the discussions will focus on Syria's sustainable recovery and reintegration into the global financial system.

The two-day G7 finance chiefs' meeting is dominated by global economic imbalances, trade tensions and the fallout from conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Syria's economy remains deeply damaged by years of war and isolation. While most sanctions have been eased or lifted since former president Assad's removal, recovery has been slow, with investors and banks still wary of compliance risks and the practical difficulty of reconnecting Syria to the global financial system.

Syria and Ukraine are expected to be present in parts of the discussions, underscoring the G7's emphasis on stabilising countries seen as central to regional and global security.

The person familiar with the matter said Syria's participation was part of preparations for the G7 leaders' summit in June and reflected a push to bring the administration of President Ahmed al-Sharaa closer to leading economies.?

For Damascus, participation in the G7 finance track marks another step in efforts to return to the international system, attract support for reconstruction and show that it has become a pivotal state in the changes reshaping the region.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari in Riyadh; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)