The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Ron van Rooden as the head of its mission in Syria, announced Syrian Finance Minister Mohammad Yosr Bernieh. This is the first mission chief in the country since the war broke out 14 years ago.

Bernieh stated that the appointment of Rooden was "at our request." A post on his LinkedIn account shows him shaking hands with Rooden while attending the IMF and World Bank spring annual meetings in Washington. "This important appointment marks a critical step and paves the way for a constructive dialogue between the IMF and Syria, with the common goal of advancing Syria's economic recovery and improving the well-being of the Syrian people," wrote Bernieh

The IMF's press service did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. A source familiar with the IMF's decisions regarding Syria confirmed Rooden's appointment. According to the monetary agency's website, Syria has not conducted any transactions with the Fund in the past 40 years. The last IMF mission in Syria dates back to the end of 2009, more than a year before protests against then-President Bashar al-Assad erupted.

Assad's crackdown triggered a widespread war that devastated much of the country before he was ousted in a swift rebel offensive last December 8, with an Islamist-led government led by HTS now leading the country. The new leaders have pledged to restore Syria's regional and international ties, rebuild the country, and seek the lifting of heavy U.S. sanctions to revive the economy.

Bernieh and Abdelkader Housrieh, the head of the Syrian central bank, are participating in the spring annual meetings in Washington. It's the first time a high-level Syrian government team has attended these meetings in at least twenty years. It's also the first official visit by the new Syrian authorities to the U.S. since Assad's fall.

On Tuesday, the Saudi finance minister and the World Bank jointly organized a roundtable on Syria. In another LinkedIn post, Bernieh described the roundtable as "very successful" and stated there was "unprecedented" interest in supporting Syria's reconstruction. A senior official of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) told Reuters last week that the agency plans to provide $1.3 billion in aid to Syria over the next three years.