The Council of Ministers has given the green light this Tuesday to the appointment of Antonio González-Zavala as the new ambassador of Spain in Syria, a position that had remained unfilled since 2012 due to the civil war triggered by the regime of Bashar al Assad. With this designation, the Executive considers the process of normalizing diplomatic ties with the government led by Ahmed al Shara, former leader of the Al Qaeda branch in Syrian territory, to be closed.
In practice, the Government is now limited to elevating the position that the diplomat has held since December 2024, when he was appointed special envoy for Syria after the lightning offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham, the group led by Al Shara --known then by his war name Mohamed al Golani-- which ended up overthrowing Al Assad.
As explained a few weeks ago to Europa Press by sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when asked whether he was being considered for promotion to ambassador, his designation as special envoy aimed to "strengthen the Embassy in the new phase" opened in Syria and facilitate "greater dialogue with the transitional government."
When asked about the requirements to have an ambassador in Damascus again, the department headed by José Manuel Albares emphasized that the full resumption of diplomatic relations depended on the progress of the transition process in the country, insisting that the Executive's commitment to "a political, peaceful, and inclusive transition is absolute."
The Government's measure, approved by the Council of Ministers at the proposal of the Foreign Minister, comes after the United States has excluded Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and has also removed Hayat Tahrir al Sham from the register of terrorist organizations.
Profile and career of Antonio González-Zavala
A career diplomat since 2002, González-Zavala holds a degree in Law and has developed much of his career in areas related to security and development cooperation policies. Among other postings, he has served as ambassador in Guinea-Bissau and as ambassador on special mission for the Sahel.
At the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), he was in charge of the Department of Cooperation with the Arab World and Asia. He has also worked as a political advisor at the Embassy in Mexico and has held the deputy head position in the diplomatic missions in Senegal, Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has also been the consul general in Quito and Lagos, as well as acting consul general in Algiers and Jerusalem.
Since 2012, the Spanish Embassy in Damascus has been led by a chargé d'affaires, following the departure from the country of the last ambassador, Julio Albi. During his visit to the Syrian capital in January 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, presided over the raising of the Spanish flag at the Embassy headquarters and decorated several of its employees for the work carried out throughout the years of conflict in Syria.