Turkish premier announces major Cabinet reshuffle

ANKARA 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