Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

New Saudi ministers take oath of office | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55339502
Caption:

Saudi ministers attend ceremony as new ministers take oath of office in Riyadh on Sunday, December 14, 2014. (Saudi Press Agency)


Saudi ministers attend ceremony as new ministers take oath of office in Riyadh on Sunday, December 14, 2014. (Saudi Press Agency)

Saudi ministers attend ceremony as new ministers take oath of office in Riyadh on Sunday, December 14, 2014. (Saudi Press Agency)

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz called on new ministers to take up their ministerial duties “with honesty,” after Saudi Arabia’s new cabinet took its oath of office before the monarch in Riyadh on Sunday.

“Start your tasks with honesty. I do not want anyone of you to come to me for education. I want him to educate me,” the Saudi monarch said in his statement to the new ministers.

King Abdullah appointed nine new ministers last week, one of the largest cabinet reshuffles in years.

The newly-appointed ministers took their oath of office before the Saudi King at the royal palace in Riyadh on Sunday evening.

The new ministers are: Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Sulaiman Bin Abdullah Abalkhail; Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Sabti; Minister of Health Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Bin Hayaze’a Al Hayaze’a; Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Al-Khudairi; Minister of Agriculture Waleed Bin Abdulkareem Al-Khuraiji; and Minister of Transport Abdullah Bin Abdulrahman Al-Muqbel. Dr. Isam Bin Saad Bin Saeed also took the oath of office after being appointed Chief of the Commission of Experts for the Council of Ministers at the rank of Minister of State.

Each minister swore to be sincere to his religion, king and nation, to never divulge any of the State’s secrets, to preserve the state’s interests and systems and to carry out his duties with honesty, faithfulness and sincerity.

King Abdulllah Bin Abdulaziz congratulated the new ministers on their appointment, while the ministers expressed their thanks and appreciation to the King. The ceremony was attended by a number of senior Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz, as well as serving Saudi ministers of state.

Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi monarch had met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Riyadh. The two monarchs discussed the latest regional and international developments, as well as ways of bolstering bilateral cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Jordan in all fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported.