King Salman appoints fourth son as Saudi energy minister
Prince Abdulaziz replaces Khalid al-Falih in one of Kingdom’s most important departments
King Salman has appointed his son Abdulaziz as energy minister, replacing the veteran Khalid al-Falih at the helm of one of Saudi Arabia’s most important government departments.
The decision was announced in a royal decree published by the official state news agency shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Mr Falih has been the face of Saudi Arabia’s energy policy since he was appointed minister in 2016, but he saw his power diminishing in recent weeks.
Industrial development and mining were separated from the energy ministry at the end of August, just days before he was removed as chairman of state oil company Saudi Aramco. Yassir al-Rumayyan, who leads the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, replaced him in that position.
In addition to his focus on energy, Mr Falih was also seen as one of the main voices shaping the kingdom’s economic policy as Saudi Arabia embarked on an ambitious programme to diversify its revenue sources away from oil. He has also played a role in the kingdom’s foreign policy as he helped manage Saudi Arabia’s deepening relationship with Russia as the two major oil producers worked together to prop up prices.
Prince Abdulaziz, the new energy minister, joined the oil ministry in the 1980s and served in several positions including deputy minister and most recently as minister of state for energy affairs, a position he held since 2017. He is the king’s fourth son and a half-brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.