The interim government led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Mohammed al-Jolani is leaving no stones unturned to win the trust of the West as he seeks to lift sanctions. The latest such move is appointing Maysaa Sabrine as the governor of the Syrian central bank.
HTS, which broke away from al-Qaeda, has been accused of extremism and suppressing women's rights. Many see the latest appointment as HTS' bid to shed its extremist perception. Sabrine succeeds Mohammed Issam Hazime who had been serving in the position since 2021.
This not the first time that the new regime led by Mohammed al-Jolani aka Ahmed al-Sharaa has picked a woman for a top position. Aisha al-Dibs was earlier appointed to lead the Women's Affairs Office.
Who is Maysaa Sabrine?
Maysaa Sabrine who has been working at the Syrian central bank for several years has formerly served as its deputy governor and chief of the Office Control Division, according to the official website.
She is also a member of the board of directors at the Damascus Securities Exchange. Sabrine completed her master's in accounting from Damascus University.
The major challenges that Sabrine will have to tackle will liberalising the economy, ease of imports and exports as well as foreign currecy use.
The Syrian central bank reportedly has around 26 tonnes of gold, which is the same amount held in the main vault of the lender before the 2011 civil war. However, foreign currencies have drastically come down from $18 billion to around $200 million.