Turkey reshuffles gov't, keeps foreign team, changes PM's aides

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced the much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle on July 19, changing four of his five deputy premiers while keeping the foreign team in place and introducing six new names. 

The new cabinet was announced by Yıldırım after his unannounced meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan whose influence on governmental actions have been much more obvious after he was elected head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in late May.

"All our friends who have been appointed to the cabinet and those who are leaving have outstanding qualifications. This is a flag race, a regeneration [of the government]," Yıldırım told reporters after he announced the new cabinet.

One of the most important aspects of the change is the fact that Prime Minister Yıldırım renewed four of his five deputy prime ministers, including the government spokesman. Deputy Prime Minister Tuğrul Türkeş, who joined the AKP after his resignation from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak, who was responsible for Syria related issues as well as refugees, have been left out of the government.

Two other Deputy Prime Ministers Nurettin Canikli and Numan Kurtulmuş, who is also the government spokesman, have been appointed as defense and culture-tourism ministers respectively while the latter will have to abandon his role as spokesperson.

Only Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek who is responsible for coordinating the economy could secure his position as the deputy premier in the new cabinet. 

Yıldırım appoints four new aides

As a result of these changes, Yıldırım promoted Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ and Health Minister Recep Akdağ as new deputy...