Syrian authorities appoint HTS figures as foreign, defence ministers 

Syria’s new rulers have appointed a foreign and defence minister, the official Syrian news agency SANA reports, as they seek to build international relations two weeks after Bashar al-Assad was ousted.

The ruling General Command on Saturday named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told the Reuters news agency that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability”.

Murhaf Abu Qasra was named defence minister in the interim government, an official source told Reuters. Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which led the opposition forces that forced out al-Assad.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus, said Abu Qasra and al-Shibani were “very much close” to HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. “This is raising questions whether HTS is forming its own government or Syria’s government,” he noted.

“So far, 14 ministers have been appointed, and all of them are close allies or friends of al-Sharaa.”

Al-Sharaa, Syria’s new de facto ruler, has actively engaged with foreign delegations since assuming power, including hosting the Syria envoy of the United Nations and senior United States diplomats.

He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any 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 the command of al-Sharaa have installed a three-month caretaker government.

Washington designated al-Sharaa a “terrorist” in 2013, saying al-Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing al-Assad. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10m bounty on his head.

The war killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times, and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 13 years after it was closed early in Syria’s war, as foreign governments seek to establish ties with the country’s new rulers.

Qatar becomes the second nation after Turkiye to officially reopen its embassy since al-Assad fled into exile.

Doha sent a diplomatic delegation to Damascus several days ago to meet with the transitional government.

On Tuesday, the European Union said it was ready to reopen its diplomatic mission in Damascus.

The French flag was raised over Paris’s embassy in Damascus on Tuesday although the country’s special envoy to Syria said the mission would remain closed “as long as security criteria are not met”.