Faisal Mekdad (Arabic: فيصل المقداد; born 5 February 1954)[2] is a Syrian diplomat and politician who has been Vice President of Syria since 2024. Between 2020 and 2024, he was also a Foreign Minister of Syria. He served as Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2003 until 2006.[3]
Faisal Mekdad | |
|---|---|
فيصل المقداد | |
.jpg) Mekdad in 2017 | |
| Vice President of Syria | |
| Assumed office 23 September 2024 Serving with Najah al-Attar | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Preceded by | Farouk al-Sharaa[1] |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates | |
| In office 22 November 2020 – 23 September 2024 | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Prime Minister | Hussein Arnous |
| Preceded by | Walid Muallem |
| Succeeded by | Bassam al-Sabbagh |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1 August 2006 – 22 November 2020 | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Preceded by | Walid Muallem |
| Succeeded by | Bashar Jaafari |
| 13th Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations | |
| In office 18 September 2003 – 31 July 2006 | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Preceded by | Mikhail Wehbe |
| Succeeded by | Bashar Jaafari |
| Member of the Central Command of the Ba'ath Party | |
| Assumed office 4 May 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 February 1954 Ghasm, Daraa Governorate, Syria |
| Political party | Ba'ath Party |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Damascus |
| Alma mater | Damascus University (BA) Charles University in Prague (PhD) |
| Profession | Politician, Diplomat |
Life and education
editFaisal Mekdad was born in the village of Ghasm in Daraa Governorate in 1954. He graduated in 1978 from Damascus University with a degree in English. He was awarded a PhD in English Literature from Charles University in Prague in 1993.[4] While at Charles University, he was a part of the International Union of Students.[5] He was also a member of the executive office of Revolutionary Youth Union.
He was active in the Syrian student movement and student leadership at Damascus University, where he won first prize for his academic research on the history of the Asian student movement.[6]
Career
editAfter graduating from Charles University, Mekdad joined the Syrian Foreign Ministry. In 1994, Dr. al-Mekdad moved to work in the diplomatic corps at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as First Secretary in the Department of International Organizations and Conferences. In 1995, he was transferred to the Permanent Delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations, where he worked in various UN committees.
In 1996, he was appointed Deputy to the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, under Mikhail Wehbe.[4] In 2003, Mekdad became the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, a position he held until 2006, when he was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister.[4] He was awarded the Order of Civil Merit by the Spanish King Juan Carlos I.[citation needed]
On 22 November 2020, following the death of Walid Muallem, Mekdad became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.[7] Between 2023 and 2024, he participated in talks on Syrian–Turkish normalization.[8] After 2023, he was also an integral part of the negotiations and meetings during the Syrian-Arab normalization and the restoration of Syria's full membership in the Arab League.[9][10]
He was appointed as vice president for foreign and information policies on 23 September 2024.[11] On 10 October 2024, Dr. Faisal Al-Miqdad was sworn in before President Bashar Al-Assad as new Vice President of the Republic.[12]
Syrian civil war
editMekdad denied accusations of an alleged crackdown on protesters after the start of the Syrian civil war. In interviews with Western and Arab Media outlets about the uprising, he spoke in support of Bashar al-Assad.[5]
He backed the government claim that his government was fighting armed terrorist insurgents. In 2013, when asked by a BBC reporter whether the government was winning the war, he responded: "We shall win it, we are winning it, yes."[13] Mekdad was part of the delegation representing the Syrian government at the Geneva II Conference on Syria. [14]
In January 2021, the European Union added Mekdad to its sanction list due to his role during the civil war.[15] The United Kingdom followed two months later, saying he "shares responsibility for the Syrian regime’s violent repression against the civilian population".[16]
Personal life
editFaisal Mekdad is married and has one son and two daughters.[4] Mekdad's father was kidnapped by gunmen on 18 May 2013 in his village of Ghasm.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Syria's Assad reappoints woman VP but mum on Sharaa". 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ السيرة الذاتية للدكتور فيصل المقداد وزير الخارجية والمغتربين (in Arabic)
- ^ "Syrians pressed on Hariri inquiry". BBC. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d "صحيفة الثورة". thawra.alwehda.gov.sy.
- ^ a b "Faisal al-Mekdad". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07.
- ^ نبذة عن السيرة الذاتية للدكتور فيصل مقداد نائب وزير الخارجية Archived 2011-08-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Syria Appoints Veteran Diplomat Faisal Mekdad as Foreign Minister". Voice of America. Reuters. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran hold high-level talks in Moscow
- ^ "Saudi Arabia, Syria welcome thaw in ties, agree to fight drug trafficking". Reuters. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Arab foreign ministers agree to readmit Syria to the Arab League". Al Arabiya. 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Syria has a new foreign minister as prime minister names his Cabinet". Associated Press. 23 September 2024.
- ^ "أمام الرئيس الأسد… المقداد يؤدي اليمين الدستورية نائباً لرئيس الجمهورية". Syrian Arab News Agency. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Syria minister Faisal Mekdad says 'we are winning the war'". BBC. 24 April 2013.
- ^ "وفد النظام السوري إلى "جنيف 2" برئاسة وليد المعلم". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
- ^ "SYRIA: New minister of Foreign Affairs added to the sanction list". European External Action Service. 16 January 2021.
- ^ "New UK sanctions targeting Assad regime for repressing the Syrian people". GOV.UK. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
- ^ "Father of Assad spokesman kidnapped". BBC. 18 May 2013.