Qatar announced a major reshuffle of its cabinet Wednesday and merged several government departments, state media announced, as the energy-rich emirate deals with the financial fallout from lower oil prices. 


Key positions such as the top jobs in the labour and foreign ministries changed in a move seen as consolidating the power of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who was announcing his first major reshuffle since taking power in 2013. 


Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, a member of the royal family, replaced Khalid al-Attiyah as foreign minister, the QNA said. 


The 35-year-old is a senior official who was previously in charge of international cooperation in the foreign ministry. 


Attiyah, whose father was the founder of Qatar's armed forces, was appointed minister of state for defence. The emir himself holds the post of defence minister. 


And Issa bin Saad al-Naimi Juffali was awarded the new position of minister for administrative development and labour and social affairs. 


Among the newly combined ministries is not only administrative development and labour, but also the departments of culture and sports, transport and communications, and municipality and the environment.
Previously, these were separate departments. 


"No doubt this has to do with reducing spending and preventing sagging," Jamal Abdullah, Head of Gulf Studies at Al-Jazeera Centre, told AFP. 


"Especially as a number of ministries intersect tasks and responsibilities, such as communications and transportation, municipal and environment." 


Also, one woman was named in the reshuffle -- Hanan al-Kuwari, who becomes the new minister of health

Source: NNA