Jihad Azour, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, speaks to The Associated Press in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Economies across the Middle East and Central Asia likely will slow this year as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates bite into their post-pandemic gains, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
