UPDATE - Syrian interim government appoints new foreign minister

UPDATES WITH MORE INFORMATION ON NEW FOREIGN MINISTER, CHANGES DECK

By Irmak Akcan, Omer Koparan, Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu, Ahmet Karaahmet and Seda Sevencan

DAMASCUS (AA) - The interim government in Syria appointed Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani as its new foreign minister, according to an announcement by the ruling General Command.

Shibani previously served as the head of political affairs for civilian administration in the northwestern province of Idlib.

In this role, he managed relations with representatives of foreign governments and institutions and oversaw coordination with UN agencies and international aid organizations.

Born in 1987 in Hasakah, Shibani moved to the capital with his family, where he graduated from Damascus University in 2009 with a degree in English language and literature.

He was involved in the Syrian uprising in 2011, joining the grassroots movement that called for freedom and challenged the regime's authority.

He later pursued his master's degree in Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, completing it in 2022, according to the institution.

His master's thesis was on “The Impact of the Arab Uprisings on Turkish Foreign Policy Towards Syria Between 2010-2020.”

The university said Shibani is currently continuing his doctoral studies.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan