By Mousa Ahmad
KUWAIT, Nov 19 (KUNA) -- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued a decree on Tuesday appointing Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as Prime Minister, and tasking him with nominating members of the new government.
The new government, which is the 36th in the country's political history, would be Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled's first-ever since becoming the eighth Prime Minister of Kuwait.
Born in Kuwait in 1953, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Kuwait University in 1977.
He joined the Foreign Ministry in 1978 as a diplomatic attache, serving in the Arab affairs department 1978-1983 and with the permanent Kuwaiti mission at the (UN) 1983-1989.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled has also served as Kuwait's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Envoy at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from 1995 to 1998, during which he participated in the GCC Ministerial Council's meetings. He has also been awarded with the Order of King Abdulaziz of First-Class in 1998.
In 1998, he was appointed by a decree as the Chief of National Security Bureau with a ministerial status. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled has also been appointed as Minister Social Affairs and Labor between July 2006 and March 2007, and Minister of Information between May 2008 and January 2009.
In 2011, he was appointed as Foreign Minister, and later as Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs in February 2012. In December 2012, he was re-assigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
In January 2014, an Amiri decree ordered the appointment of Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah as First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. In December 2016, he was re-assigned as Foreign minister, and appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in December 2017. (end) mad.amh.ma