Syrian Government Announces Major Appointments and New Authority

President Ahmad al-Sharaa has enacted a series of presidential decrees this week, establishing a new border agency and appointing its leadership alongside other senior government officials. The moves signal an administrative restructuring aimed at centralizing control and modernizing key state functions.

The most significant change is the creation of the General Authority for Borders and Customs, a body with full legal and financial independence that will report directly to the President [11017]. President al-Sharaa appointed Qutaiba Ahmad Badawi as its President and Khalid Muhammad al-Barad as its Deputy President, both holding ministerial rank [11021]. Badawi, who also leads the General Authority for Ports and Customs, recently chaired the inaugural meeting of a new National Import and Export Committee, indicating a coordinated push to reform Syria's international trade and border management [17188].

Concurrently, the President issued several other decrees appointing new Deputy and Assistant Ministers across the government. These include a new Deputy Minister of Finance and an Assistant Minister of Public Works and Housing, among others [20061].

The flurry of appointments extends to diplomatic posts as well, with Dr. Mohammad Katoub named as Syria's new Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) [9926].

Analysts view these steps as part of a broader effort to streamline governance and assert state authority over critical economic and administrative sectors. The establishment of the centralized borders and customs authority, in particular, is seen as a move to enhance revenue collection and tighten control over cross-border trade as the country continues its focus on post-conflict recovery and development planning [10543][8027].