New Delhi: Indian Embassy in Muscat Counsellor Irshad Ahmad has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to Syria.

Ahmad will shortly take up the assignment, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release.

Meanwhile, Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan recently discussed India-Syria bilateral cooperation including development partnership, trade and capacity building with Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous.

“Glad to have had a fruitful meeting with the Prime Minister of Syria, Hussein Arnous in Damascus, Syria. Discussed the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between India and Syria including development partnership, trade and capacity building,” MoS Muraleedharan tweeted.

The developments came during the MoS' two-day official visit to the country.

Muraleedharan also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi in Damascus. "Started off the day in Damascus, Syria by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi ji at the premises of @eoidamascus," MoS Muraleedharan tweeted.

Earlier, the MoS met the Syriac Patriarch of Antioch & all the East in Damascus, Mor Ignatius Aphrem II.

"Blessed to meet His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Patriarch of Antioch and all the East in Damascus, Syria," the MoS tweeted.

"Recalled my old connection with His Holiness. He reiterated his fondness for Kerala and expressed his hope for greater unity in the Syrian Orthodox Church," he added.