Asaad Hassan al-Shibani was appointed foreign minister and Murhaf Abu Qasra was appointed defense minister. Both are allies of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
As the official Syrian news agency SANA reports, Syria’s new rulers have appointed a foreign and defense minister and want to establish international relations two weeks later Bashar al-Assad was repressed.
The ruling General Command appointed Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister on Saturday, SANA said. A source in the new government told Reuters that the move is “a response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to build international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Murhaf Abu Qasra has been appointed defense minister in the interim government, an official source told Reuters. Abu Qasra, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that led the opposition forces that ousted al-Assad.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus, said Abu Qasra and al-Shibani were “very close” to HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. “This raises the question of whether HTS forms its own government or the Syrian government,” he noted.
“So far, 14 ministers have been appointed and all are close allies or friends of al-Sharaa.”
Al-Sharaa, Syria’s new de facto ruler, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since coming to power, including hosting the United Nations’ Syria envoy and senior U.S. diplomats.
He said his main focus was reconstruction and economic development and he was not interested in getting involved in new conflicts.
Syrian opposition fighters seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing President al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Forces under al-Sharaa’s command have installed a three-month interim government.
Washington labeled al-Sharaa a “terrorist” in 2013 and said al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing al-Assad. US officials said on Friday that Washington would withdraw a bounty of $10 million on his head.
The war killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the largest refugee crises of modern times, left bombed cities in ruins and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
Qatar opens embassy
Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 13 years after it was closed at the start of Syria’s war, as foreign governments seek to build ties with the country’s new rulers.
Qatar is the second country after Turkey to officially reopen its embassy since al-Assad fled into exile.
A few days ago, Doha sent a diplomatic delegation to Damascus to meet with the interim government.
On Tuesday, the European Union said it was ready to reopen its diplomatic mission in Damascus.
On Tuesday, the French flag was raised over the Paris embassy in Damascus, although the country’s special envoy to Syria said the mission would remain closed “as long as the security criteria are not met.”
