Turkish premier announces major Cabinet reshuffle

By Baris Gundogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey reshuffled its Cabinet with five new ministers, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the presidential complex in Ankara after an unscheduled meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Yildirim said six ministers have new portfolios, while five newcomers have joined the Cabinet.

Yildirim said that 11 members of 27-member Cabinet have been reshuffled.

The reshuffle came after Erdogan retained ties with his Justice and Development (AK) Party in May after April-16 constitutional referendum.

Erdogan led the AK Party for 13 years starting in 2001 but had to step aside when he became president in August 2014, due to a legal requirement for presidents to be politically neutral.

New Cabinet is as follows:

- Prime Minister Binali Yildirim

- Deputy prime ministers

Bekir Bozdag (former justice minister)

Mehmet Simsek

Fikri Isik (former defense minister)

Recep Akdag (former health minister)

Hakan Cavusoglu

- Other ministers

Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul

Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya

European Union Minister Omer Celik

Science, Industry and Technology Minister Faruk Ozlu

Labor and Social Security Minister Julide Sarieroglu

Environment and Urban Planning Minister Mehmet Ozhaseki

Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak

Youth and Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak

Food, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Ahmet Esref Fakibaba

Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu

Development Minister Lutfi Elvan

Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmus (former deputy PM)

Finance Minister Naci Agbal

National Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz

National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli (Former Deputy PM)

Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroglu

Health Minister Ahmet Demircan

Transport, Maritime and Communication Minister Ahmet Arslan