Syria sends first Swift message to New York Fed, central bank governor says

The Syrian central bank on Thursday sent its first Swift message to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh told Reuters.

"We sent (a) greeting message to all our international correspondent banks. We started with the Federal Reserve," Husrieh said. "We're telling them that ... we are back to the international financial system, and we are looking forward to long-term business relationships."

Syria needs to make transfers with Western financial institutions in order to bring in huge sums for reconstruction and to kick-start a war-ravaged economy.