What Damascus’s new cabinet reveals about Türkiye’s soft power in Syria

As Syria embarks on its post-Assad transition, the Syrian transitional government has unveiled multiple cabinet members with academic backgrounds and strong connections to Türkiye. One of the most prominent figures is Syria’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister, Asaad Hassan al Shibani.

Appointed on December 21 to function under caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed al Bashir, al Shibani’s connection to Türkiye runs deep.

The 37-year-old holds a master’s thesis on ‘The Impact of the Arab Uprisings on Turkish Foreign Policy Towards Syria Between 2010 and 2020’, having graduated from the International Relations Department of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University.

Al Shibani had been pursuing a PhD at the same institution when he disappeared in November, leaving only a brief message explaining he would be “out of town for a while”.

That was around the time opposition forces had swept into Damascus to signal the fall of Bashar al Assad’s totalitarian regime after more than 50 years of dynastic rule.

Al Shibani’s thesis supervisor, Hasan Aksakal, was puzzled until the news broke.

“I just learned that my PhD student, Asaad Hassan, has become Syria’s new Foreign Minister,” Aksakal posted on X upon reading about his appointment.

Born in 1987 in Hasakah in northwest Syria, al Shibani graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature at Damascus University in 2009.

He was actively involved in the Syrian revolution from the very beginning in 2011 and played a pivotal role in establishing Syria’s interim government in 2017, according to an introduction published by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ties that bind

Experts agree that the new Syrian foreign minister’s familiarity with Turkish culture and fluency in the language could amplify Türkiye’s diplomatic and societal ties with Syria.

“Shibani’s knowledge of Turkish and his shared history with the Turkish people will have a multiplying effect on Syria’s diplomatic relations and societal ties with Türkiye,” says Hamza Hasil, a researcher at the ORSAM Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

Hasil adds that the concept of Türkiye-educated Syrian diplomats is nothing new, noting that during the early years of Syria’s establishment, many Syrian leaders and high-level bureaucrats were educated in Istanbul.

“These historical ties, which had been disrupted under the Baath regime, are now being revitalised,” he tells TRT World.

However, al Shibani is not the only official with ties to Türkiye to assume a key position in Syria’s transitional government.

The recently appointed Aleppo Governor Azzam al Gharib also holds a master’s degree in Islamic Studies from Bingol University in eastern Türkiye.

Ayse Eldibs, now Syria’s head of the Women’s Affairs Office, previously led the Syrian Associations Platform, a Türkiye-based organisation dedicated to fostering a harmonious Syrian community in Türkiye and contributing to rebuilding Syrian society.

Türkiye’s expansive soft power

Since the Syrian civil war’s outbreak, the Turkish government has hosted 3.7 million Syrian refugees, providing healthcare, education, and social services at a cost exceeding $40 billion.

These efforts have not been without challenges, including public discontent over the perceived strain of hosting refugees and calls from opposition parties to normalise ties with the Assad regime.

“Yet, with the fall of Assad, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government feel that their policy has been vindicated,” writes Galip Dalay, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House.

“Now you have millions of Syrians that speak Turkish, that will have direct access to Turkish culture, Turkish politics, Turkish institutional links,” he tells TRT World, noting there is “no real rival to Türkiye” in terms of societal connections with Syria.

Omer Ozkizilcik, a foreign policy and security expert and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, agrees.

“We are talking about a group of 10 million Syrians whose lives Türkiye has touched and saved in some way,” he tells TRT World.

“A significant portion of these individuals know Turkish, are familiar with Turkish culture, and have connections in Türkiye. In the coming period, they will serve as bridges between Türkiye and Syria.”