MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has passed away at the age of 79, the SANA news agency reported on Monday.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates mourns the death of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid Muallem," the statement said.

The cause of death was not disclosed.

Walid Muallem worked at the Syrian Foreign Ministry since 1964. He served in Syrian diplomatic missions in Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, was the ambassador to Romania and the US. He has led the Syrian Foreign Ministry since 2006.