UAE, world leaders congratulate Mohammed bin Salman on becoming Prime Minister

Decision comes amid a Cabinet reshuffle

Saudi Arabia's newly designated Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks during his meeting with newly appointed Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud and defence officials in thShow more

The UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed congratulated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on becoming the kingdom's prime minister as part of a Cabinet reshuffle following a royal decree by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

"Sincere congratulations to my brother Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his appointment as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to Prince Khalid bin Salman on becoming Defence Minister," he said.

"We wish them every success in their new roles."

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also congratulated Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"We congratulate the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the people and the government, on Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud becoming the head of the council of ministers," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

Other Gulf states, including Qatar and Bahrain, also congratulated the newly appointed premier for his new role.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa "expressed heartfelt congratulations to the Saudi Crown Prince on the royal trust, wishing him every success in serving the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people," Bahrain's state news agency reported.

As part of the reshuffle, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who had been serving as deputy defence minister, will be the kingdom’s new defence minister. He will take over from the crown prince following the royal decree, which was reported by the official SPA news agency.

The Cabinet reshuffle also involved the appointment of Yousef Al Bunyan as Minister of Education, replacing Hamad Al Sheikh, who had been in the post since 2018.

The new defence and education ministers were sworn in by the king, a video posted by SPA on Twitter showed.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman will remain as Energy Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan as Foreign Minister and Adel Al Jubeir as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan and Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih have also kept their positions, as has Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan.

Also keeping their ministerial positions are Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz as Minister of the National Guard, Walid Al Samaani as Minister of Justice, and Majid Al Qasabi as Minister of Commerce.

Since the appointment of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017, the kingdom has undertaken a series of changes as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on oil revenue.