Veteran Syrian diplomat Mekdad named foreign minister, state media says

FILE PHOTO: Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad, attends the funeral of Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moalem, at Saad bin Muath Mosque in Damascus, Syria, November 16, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's President Bashar al Assad named veteran diplomat Faisal Mekdad as foreign minister on Sunday to replace Walid Moalem, who died last week, state media reported.

Mekdad, 66, had been deputy foreign minister since 2006. He has also held a string of diplomatic posts, including envoy to the United Nations.