HALABJA, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced on Saturday the formation of a new Syrian transitional government and a new “Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management.”

“I assure you that today is the beginning of a new phase in our national journey, drawing inspiration from our great past to move together toward the future we deserve, with strong will and unwavering resolve,” Sharaa said in a late-night speech.

The cabinet formation was initially scheduled to be announced on March 1, with a caretaker government overseeing the affairs of the country in the interim.

The new government sees the appointment of key Sharaa allies and opponents to ousted former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to crucial positions, with Anas Khattab, head of general intelligence, being named Interior Minister, while Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani and Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra are set to retain their posts, according to AFP.

Hind Kabawat, an opposition figure during the Assad era and member of Syria’s Christian community, was appointed by Sharaa as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.

Her appointment reflects a gesture toward Syria’s diverse ethno-religious minorities in the wake of international pressure, particularly following the killings of hundreds of civilians belonging to the Alawite sect earlier this month.

Sharaa also announced the formation of a new Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, with the leader of the White Helmets, Raed al-Saleh, appointed as its minister.

The new ministry will serve “to address any challenges or disasters that may confront the nation,” Sharaa said, adding that they “will work to build a rapid and effective response system to any emergency.”

The event also saw the merging of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministries of Economy and Trade “into a single ministry, the Ministry of Economy and Industry,” as well as a merger of “the Ministries of Electricity and Oil and Gas under the name of the Ministry of Energy.”

Sharaa signed into effect an interim constitution in March to direct the country and oversee its affairs throughout the transitional period. The text was based on the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference, which was criticized by the Kurds in Syria, who lamented their “token representation.”

Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, was the commander-in-chief of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a rebel group that spearheaded the anti-government forces’ lightning offensive that led to the collapse of Assad’s regime in under two weeks late last year.

He was officially declared the interim president of Syria in late January.