The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday (June 21st) a series of appointments that included department directors and advisers in various diplomatic and administrative positions, in a move that reflects, according to observers, a broad restructuring within the ministry.

The new appointments in the foreign affairs departments included the assignment of Saad Baroud to the Department of American Affairs, Sally Shoubet to the Department of European Affairs, Dr. Nada Aswad to the Department of Afro-Asian and Oceaniatic Affairs, Qutaiba Qadish to the Department of International Cooperation, and Nahla Othman to the Department of Expatriates and Refugees.

Obaida Arnaout received the Department of Diplomatic Representation, Dima Al-Moussa received the Department of International Conventions and Treaties, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Salam received the Department of Protocol, Dr. Hassan Junaidi received the Department of Administrative Development, Abdel Nasser Keshou received the Department of Cyber Security and Riad Al-Khader received the Department of Security and Protection.

The ministry appointed a group of advisors in Arab and international files, most notably: Dr. Mohammed Al-Ahmad as Advisor for Arab Affairs, Ambassador Jihad Makdisi as Advisor for American Affairs, Dr. Hamza Al-Mustafa as Advisor for European Affairs, Mohammed Al-Jaffal as Advisor for Afro-Asian Affairs , Talal Kanaan as Advisor for Energy and Environment Affairs, and Dr. Mohammed Ghadban as Advisor for Academic Development and Diplomatic Training.

Jihad al-Maqdisi thanks al-Shaibani for his trust

Makdissi wrote on his Facebook page that he is returning to the ranks of the new Syrian diplomacy today "with all feelings of pride and gratitude", stressing that this return represents a very important professional and national milestone for him.

Makdisi thanked Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani for his "generous trust" in granting him the title of ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic and assigning him the duties of advisor for American affairs in the ministry, considering this trust a "great responsibility" that he pledges to exert all his efforts and experience to do in order to serve Syria's interests and enhance its presence in international forums.

Maqdisi concluded his message by praying for success in his new mission, saying that he hopes that God will protect free Syria and its people, and that it will perpetuate security, dignity and prosperity.

Who is Jihad al-Maqdisi?

- He was born in 1974 and his childhood grew up in the neighborhood of Al-Qasa in Damascus and he studied in its schools, and he is considered a Jerusalemite and originally from the city of Sednaya in the countryside of Damascus.

He was known as the official spokesman of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the director of its media department, before his defection from the regime of Bashar al-Assad on December 3, 2012, and his emergence as an opposition figure and one of the most prominent members of the Cairo platform and the head of its delegation in some rounds of negotiations.

He began his diplomatic career in 2000 at the Syrian embassy in Washington, then moved to the embassy in London as an official spokesman in 2011 and returned to Damascus to assume the position of official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and director of the Information Department, and continued until his defection at the end of 2012.

- He holds an MA in Diplomacy and International Relations from the University of Westminster (2009) and a PhD in Media Studies from the American University of London.