Faisal Mekdad ( ar, فيصل المقداد; born 1954) is the Syrian Foreign Minister and former Permanent Envoy to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Life and education

Faisal Mekdad was born in the village of

Ghasm Ghasm ( ar, غصم, also spelled Ghasam) is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located northeast of Daraa and west of Bosra. Other nearby localities include Maaraba to the east, al-Sahwah to the north, a ...

Daraa Governorate Daraa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة درعا / ALA-LC: ') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the south-west of the country and covers an area of 3,730 km2. It is bordered by Jordan to the south, Qu ...

in 1954. He graduated in 1978 from

Damascus University The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

with a degree in English. He later got his PhD in English Literature from

Charles University in Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

in 1993. While at Charles University, he was a part of the

International Union of Students The International Union of Students (IUS) was a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations. The IUS was the umbrella organization for 155 such students' organizations across 112 countries and territories representing a ...

Career

After graduating from Charles University, Mekdad became a diplomat in the Syrian Foreign Ministry. In 1995, he became a member of the Permanent Syrian Delegation to the United Nations where he represented Syria in numerous conferences. He was appointed as the Deputy to the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, under

Mikhail Wehbe Mikhail Wehbe ( ar, ميخائيل وهبة; 27 February 1942 – 12 July 2022) was a Syrian diplomat and former Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations. Education Mikhail Wehbe was born in Damascus in 1942. He graduated from th ...

. In 2003, Mekdad became the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, a position he held until 2006, when he was appointed as Deputy Foreign Minister. In 2006, he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. On 22 November 2020, Mekdad became the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

, following the death of

Walid Muallem Walid Mohi Edine al Muallem ( ar, وليد محيي الدين المعلم ''Walīd Muḥīyy ad-Dīn al-Muʿallam''; 13 January 194116 November 2020) was a Syrian diplomat and Ba'ath Party member who served as foreign minister from 2006 to ...

Syrian civil war

Mekdad has denied accusations of his government's alleged crackdown on protesters after the start of the Syrian civil war. He has held interviews with Western and Arab Media outlets about the uprising, where he has spoken in support of Bashar al-Assad. He has promoted the government's claim that his government is fighting armed terrorist insurgents, and when asked by a BBC reporter whether he believes his government is winning the war, he responded saying "We shall win it, we are winning it, yes." Mekdad was a part of the delegation representing the Syrian government during the

Geneva II Conference on Syria The Geneva II Conference on Syria (also called Geneva II Middle East peace conference or simply Geneva IIUN News Center. ''Preparations for upcoming Syria peace conference 'on track,’ says UN chief''. "The goal of the so-called "Geneva II" ...

. The other members with him were

Bashar Jaafari Bashar Jaafari, also Ja'afari, ( ar, بشار الجعفري) (born April 14, 1956) is the former Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. His qualifications include a Bachelor of ...

Omran al-Zoubi Omran Ahed al-Zoubi ( ar, عمران عاهد الزعبي) (27 September 1959 in Damascus, Syria – 6 July 2018 in Damascus, Syria) was the Minister of Information in the Government of Syria from 23 June 2012 until July 2016. He died from a hea ...

, Bouthaina Shaaban, Walid Muallem, and

Luna Shabal Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roman ...

. In January 2021, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

added Mekdad to its sanction list, due to his role during the civil war. The United Kingdom followed two months later, saying he "shares responsibility for the Syrian regime’s violent repression against the civilian population".

Personal life

Faisal Mekdad is married and has one son and two daughters. Mekdad's father was kidnapped by gunmen on 18 May 2013 in his village of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mekdad, Faisal 1954 births Living people People from Daraa District Syrian Muslims Permanent Representatives of Syria to the United Nations Damascus University alumni Charles University alumni Foreign ministers of Syria