Syrian President Bashar Assad forms new Cabinet
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Sky News Arabia, Damascus, August 8, 2023 (Reuters Photo)
Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday issued a decree forming a new Cabinet, appointing Mohammad Ghazi Jalali as prime minister.
The new government, announced by the Syrian state news agency SANA, features appointments across key ministries, including foreign affairs, finance, and electricity.
Syria’s new government formation
The newly formed Cabinet sees several changes, replacing an outgoing administration that has been serving in a caretaker role since parliamentary elections in mid-July.
The new government will be led by Jalali, who previously served as the communications minister from 2014 to 2016. Jalali has been under EU sanctions since 2014 due to his role in the Syrian regime’s violent repression of civilians, according to the bloc.
The new appointments in the Syrian Cabinet include:
- Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayed as minister of religious endowments
- Salam Mohammad al-Saffaf as minister of administrative development
- Mohammad Samer Abdelrahman al-Khalil as minister of industry
- Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun as interior minister
- Mohammad Rami Radwan Martini as tourism minister
- Ali Mahmoud Abbas as defense minister
- Iyad Mohammad al-Khatib as communications and technology minister
- Ahmad Sayyed as minister of justice
- Zuhair Khazim as transport minister
- Bassam Sabbagh as foreign and expatriates minister
