Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad issued Decree No. 91 of 2023 on a Cabinet reshuffle that includes five ministers, SANA reported on Wednesday.

The Syrian news agency said the decree stipulated appointing Firas Hassan Kaddour as Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources. Kaddour has held the position of General Manager of the Syrian Oil Company to date.

The decree also stipulated naming Mohsen Abdul Karim Ali as Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection. The newly appointed minister previously held several positions, including Director General of the General Corporation for Internal Trade for Metals and Building Materials.

According to the decree, Abdul Qadir Joukhadar was named Minister of Industry. He previously served as Director General of the Consumer Corporation from 2007 to 2012.

SANA added that Louai Emad El-Din Al-Munajjid was appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Labor. Al-Munajjid served as Advisor to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Economic Committee Studies.

In addition, the decree specified naming Ahmed Bustahji as Minister of State. SANA mentioned that Bustahji previously held several positions, including a member of the Central Committee of the Unified Syrian Communist Party and a member of its political bureau.

The decree also included naming Engineer Mohammad Fayez al-Barsha as Minister of State

It is noteworthy that in 2018, Al-Assad carried out a cabinet reshuffle that included nine ministries.

Read more: West Asia slowly pivots from US: Syria, Saudi Arabia to restore ties