His Excellency Number (20) Syrian Prime Minister Dr. Riad Farid Hijab

• Born in Deir ez-Zor in 1966.
• Married with four children.
• Holds a PhD in Agricultural Engineering.
• Served as President of the National Union of Students, Deir ez-Zor branch, from 1989 to 1998.
• Became a member of the leadership of the Ba’ath Party’s branch from 1998 to 2004.
• In 2004, he became the Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Deir ez-Zor, a position he held until 2008.
• Became the Governor of Quneitra in 2008.
• On February 22, 2011, he was appointed Governor of Latakia.
• Then he became the head of the Security Committee in the province to monitor the activities of the Syrian opposition.
• Later, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform on April 14, 2011, replacing Adel Safar who was appointed Prime Minister.
• On June 6, 2012, following the parliamentary elections boycotted by the Syrian opposition, Bashar al-Assad appointed Riad Hijab as Prime Minister, making his government number (90) since Syria’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, and the fourth ministry under Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
• BBC News described him as “a strong supporter of Assad and a key member of the ruling Ba’ath Party.”
• Shortly after his appointment as Prime Minister, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him.
• On August 6, 2012, the Syrian official news agency announced that Riad Hijab had been dismissed from his position, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at the time that he had defected from the Syrian regime, with the Free Syrian Army securing his exit from Daraa to Jordan with his family and his brothers’ families.
• A Jordanian government spokesperson confirmed his arrival in Jordan. At a press conference held in the Jordanian capital in mid-August, he stated that he was not dismissed from his position and had defected of his own will, adding that he was a loyal soldier of the Syrian Revolution.
• The High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition elected Riad Hijab as the General Coordinator in Riyadh.
• In 2017, Riad Hijab, the General Coordinator of the High Negotiations Committee representing a broad spectrum of the Syrian opposition, resigned from his position two days before the Riyadh conference.
• He is noted for his global political and diplomatic activities, all aimed at finding a solution to the Syrian crisis, and he is known for his dignity, calmness, and composure.

At the Syrian Future Movement, in recognition of his rich and extensive academic, political, and social history, and for standing with his people in their revolution against injustice and tyranny, we are honored to present the Syrian Future Movement Shield this week to the former Syrian Prime Minister Dr. “Riad Farid Hijab,” a symbolic Syrian shield that carries our vision and our inclusive national approach.