Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has died at 79, Syrian state media reported early Monday.
Al-Muallem was also the deputy prime minister of Syria, according to SANA.
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He was first appointed foreign minister in 2006 and had been one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s top confidantes.
Born in 1941, al-Muallem served as Syria’s ambassador to the United States from 1990 to 1999.
No further details were provided on the cause of death.
#دمشق || #سانا
— سانا عاجل (@SanaAjel) November 16, 2020
نعت وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين نائب رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجية والمغتربين #وليد_المعلم. pic.twitter.com/SaVlJPZ10N
Al-Muallem was most recently seen last week during a conference the Syrian regime hosted to discuss the return of million Syrian refugees.
Russia's special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev (L) sits next to Syrian FM Walid al-Muallem at the opening session of the international conference on the return of refugees held in Damascus on Nov. 11, 2020. (AFP)
