On Sunday, the Syrian President, Bashar al Assad, issued 3 legislative decrees to designate Faisal al Miqdad as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Bashar al Jaafari as his deputy, and to transfer Ambassador Bassam al Sabbagh to the permanent delegation in New York and accredit him as a permanent representative to the United Nations.
The appointment of Faisal al Miqdad as new Syrian Foreign Minister was an expected event and would not lead to radical changes in the foreign policy of the Syrian Arab Republic, including relations with neighboring countries.
This appointment cannot be described as unexpected, because Miqdad is one of the deputies of the late former Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Muallem.
He is also a well-known figure in both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic and its senior leadership.
The Syrian foreign policy case is same as many other Arab countries, which is determined by the head of state personally, in Syria case, by Bashar al Assad.
Assad determines the path foreign policy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acts as a tool that implements this path in practice.
Of course, there could be slight differences, but it is unlikely that the appointment will lead to radical changes, as Miqdad’s personality will not affect Syria’s relations with the great powers and their Arab neighbors.
It’s noteworthy that, Faisal al Miqdad, was born in 1954, and held the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria since 2006, and before that head of the permanent mission of Syria to the United Nations and represented the Syrian Arab Republic in the Security Council.
