Irans Foreign Ministry said Sunday that newly-appointed Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Meqdad will visit Tehran Monday. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement that the top Syrian diplomat will meet with his Iranian counterpart and other Iranian officials. The visit to Tehran marks Meqdads first foreign trip since his appointment as foreign minister last month after the death of former FM Walid Al-Muallem. Last month, Zarif called Mekdad to congratulate him on his appointment and underline Irans wish to preserve its strategic cooperation with Damascus. Al-Muallem, who had served as Syria’s top diplomat since 2006, passed away on 16 November at the age of 79. Mekdad, started a career at the Syrian foreign ministry in 1994, and has been deputy foreign minister since 2006. Before that, he served as his countrys permanent representative to the UN from 2003 to 2006.