Syrian authorities have appointed two figures from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group as foreign and defence ministers. Asaad Hassan al-Shibani has been named foreign minister, while Murhaf Abu Qasra has taken on the role of defence minister.
Both individuals are allies of HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has taken on a de facto leadership role in Syria since the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. Al-Sharaa’s primary focus is on reconstruction and economic development, with no interest in engaging in new conflicts.
The appointments come as part of efforts to establish international relations with the new Syrian government. This follows weeks after al-Assad was ousted from power.
In recent developments, Qatar has reopened its embassy in Damascus, while the European Union and France have announced plans to reopen their diplomatic missions in the coming days.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/21/syrias-new-rulers-appoint-hts-figures-as-foreign-defence-ministers