Ghiath Diab
Ghiath Diab | |
|---|---|
غياث دياب | |
| Deputy Minister of Energy for Oil Affairs | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2025 | |
| President | Ahmed al-Sharaa |
| Minister | Mohammed al-Bashir |
| Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources | |
| In office December 2024 – 29 March 2025 | |
| President | Ahmed al-Sharaa[a] |
| Prime Minister | Mohammed al-Bashir |
| Preceded by | Firas Hassan Kaddour[1] |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished Mohammed al-Bashir (as Minister of Energy) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Damascus, Syria |
| Citizenship | Syria Palestine |
| Alma mater | Damascus University (ME) |
Ghiath Fawzi Diab (Arabic: غياث فوزي دياب) is a Syrian engineer and politician who served as the Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources between December 2024 and March 2025 in the Syrian caretaker government that was formed after the fall of the Assad regime.
Diab is the first Palestinian Syrian to hold a ministerial position in Syria's History, and, upon the establishment of the Syrian transitional government, was succeeded by Mohammed al-Bashir as Minister of Energy, a ministry formed as a merger of three ministries, including the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources.
Early life and education
He was born in Qadam, Damascus to Palestinian Syrian parents, and holds both Syrian and Palestinian citizenship.[2][3]
He holds a master's degree in petroleum engineering from Damascus University, and completed his postgraduate studies in energy and natural resource management abroad. He also served as director of the Oil Exploration Department in Syria.[4][5]
Career
Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources (2024–2025)
In December 2024, after the fall of the Assad regime, he was appointed Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources by the Syrian caretaker government.[4]
In a press statement on 30 December 2024, Diab stated that the Syrian oil sector faces several challenges, including oil wells that remain outside the administration of the government, along with sanctions on Syria, the latter of which he said had caused scarcity and instability after the Assad regime's collapse.[6][7]
In an interview with CNBC Arabia on 12 January 2025 about Syria's petroleum industry, he said that Syria would begin oil and gas exploration and drilling in less than a month, after completing necessary procedures. He expressed his desire to increase fuel production, turning Syria into an oil exporter, and to increase the amount of pipelines between countries via Syria. He also stated that Homs Refinery was operating at around 40-50% of its design capacity, and the Baniyas Refinery was possibly at 60%. He emphasized the importance of international and foreign partnerships being able to access modern technologies. In regards to privatization, Diab said that the private sector could be allowed to import petroleum products, adding that this would be available to all international and commercial entities. He concluded by saying that "We have begun importing approximately three tankers with a capacity of 15,000 tons. We are offering tenders to import oil to countries or companies, and we will contract with the best".[8]
On 29 March 2025, Diab's ministry, alongside the Ministry of Electricity and the Ministry of Water Resources, were merged into the newly-formed Ministry of Energy, led by Mohammed al-Bashir.[9][10][11]
Deputy Minister of Energy for Oil Affairs (2025–present)
On 1 June 2025, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy for Oil Affairs via Presidential Decree No. 33 of 2025.[12]
Notes
References
- ^ "فراس حسن قدور" [Firas Hassan Kaddour]. ManHom (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "غياث دياب" [Ghiath Diab]. Syrian Memory (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ "من هو غياث دياب؟ وزير النفط الجديد في سوريا" [Who is Ghiath Diab? The new Minister of Oil in Syria]. El-Nassr News (in Arabic). 9 January 2025. Archived from the original on 10 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ a b "غياث دياب" [Ghiath Diab]. ManHom (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ "Syria appoints first Palestinian oil minister in historic precedent". Action Group for Palestinians of Syria. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original on 16 February 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Salameh, Manar (31 December 2025). "Minister of Oil : there is no sense in maintaining the sanctions imposed on Syria after overthrowing of the defunct regime". Syrian Arab News Agency. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "وزير النفط السوري يكشف التحديات وألمانيا تعلن مساعدات بعيدا عن الإدارة الجديدة" [Syrian Oil Minister Reveals Challenges, Germany Announces Aid Beyond New Administration]. Al Jazeera Arabic (in Arabic). 30 December 2024. Archived from the original on 5 January 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "وزير النفط والثروة المعدنية السوري غياث دياب لـ CNBC عربية: بدء الاستكشاف والتنقيب عن النفط قريباً" [Syrian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ghiath Diab to CNBC Arabia: Oil exploration and drilling will begin soon]. CNBC Arabia (in Arabic). 12 January 2025. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Lister, Charles (30 March 2025). "Assessing Syria's Transitional Government". Syria Weekly (Substack). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
In forming the new transitional government, Ahmed al-Sharaa has folded in Syria's long-standing ministerial positions responsible for electricity, oil and gas into the Minister of Energy's portfolio
(subscription required) - ^ "دمج وزارتي الكهرباء والنفط.. الرئيس السوري يُعلن عن إصلاحات شاملة للقطاع" [Merger of the Ministries of Electricity and Oil.. Syrian president announces comprehensive sector reforms]. Alhoria News (in Arabic). 29 March 2025. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "رئاسة الجمهورية: قرار رئاسي بإعلان التشكيل الوزاري لحكومة الجمهورية العربية السورية" [Presidency of the Republic: Presidential Decree Announcing the Ministerial Formation of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic]. Syrian Arab News Agency (in Arabic). 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
- ^ "الرئيس الشرع يعيّن ثلاثة معاونين لوزير الطاقة" [President Al-Sharaa appoints three assistants to the Minister of Energy]. Alikhbaria Syria (in Arabic). 1 June 2025. Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.