World
12:55, 29-Dec-2018
Saudi Arabia says the cabinet reshuffle was expected as its four-year term was up
Updated
11:50, 01-Jan-2019
["china"]
Share
Copied
Saudi Arabia's cabinet reshuffle was expected because the cabinet must be replaced and reappointed every four years, the government said on Friday.
The assertion was issued by the Saudi government's communications office after the king elevated veteran government figures to key cabinet positions on Thursday, including installing the former finance minister, 69-year-old Ibrahim Al-Assaf, to head the foreign ministry, replacing Adel Al-Jubeir, who has been Saudi foreign minister since 2015.
The king also appointed a new national security adviser and head of the National Guard.
The reshuffle came as the Saudi government faces intense pressure over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.
A statement by the communications office cited the Saudi official as saying the reshuffle reflected routine technocratic considerations and came at the end of the cabinet's four-year term, as required by law.
"The reshuffle is designed to ensure that the Cabinet has the best combination of the experience and know-how to meet the needs of the Kingdom over the coming four years and strengthen our relations with friendly countries around the world," the official was cited as saying in the statement.
(Top image: Ibrahim Al-Assaf, the new Saudi foreign minister, speaks to reporters at his residence in the Saudi capital Riyadh, December 28, 2018. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): Reuters