Faisal Mekdad has been appointed as Syrian new foreign minister, the country's presidential office announced on Sunday.

The Syrian envoy to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, has also been appointed as deputy foreign minister and Bassam Sabbagh will replace Jaafari as new UN envoy, the office added. 

On 16 November, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem died at the age of 79. He had been the country's top diplomat since 2006.