Saudi Arabia's King Salman appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince on Wednesday, placing him first-in-line to the throne and laying the groundwork for an entirely new generation of royals to take the reins.
Until now, the succession favoured Saudi Arabia's interior minister and security chief, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who has now been stripped of much of his power.
Saudi television channels showed the bearded Mohammed bin Salman kissing the hand of his ousted cousin Mohammed bin Nayef and kneeling in front of the older prince, who patted his shoulder to congratulate him.
Analysts said the change ends uncertainty over succession and empowers Prince Mohammed bin Salman to move faster with his plan to reduce the kingdom's dependance on oil, which includes the partial privatisation of state oil company Aramco.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Issa said Prince Mohammed bin Salman had always served his religion first, and his country, king and nation second.
Saudi Arabia's Al-Ekhbariya TV said Mohamed bin Nayef has pledged allegiance to the new crown prince.
The King also emphasized Morocco and Saudi Arabia's honest brotherhood and the distinguished relations based on fruitful cooperation and effective solidarity, noting Morocco's keenness to further strengthen their ties in various fields.
The Allegiance Council consists of sons and grandsons of the Saudi state's founder, King Abdul-Aziz.
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They said it should be a "call to action to those in the position to protect our American citizens here at home AND overseas ". Otto Warmbier knew everyone on campus as a student at the University of Virginia , and he had an "insane" tie collection.
Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, said the king's decision was aimed at avoiding a power struggle between his son and Mohammed bin Nayef by setting the line of succession clearly.
The Saudi monarch, who holds near absolute powers, quickly awarded his son expansive powers to the surprise of many within the royal family who are more senior and more experienced than Mohammed bin Salman, also known by his initials MBS.
Several members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, including Saudi Arabia, recently cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding extremism.
Economic pressure on Saudi Arabia is set to intensify as the state spends at home and overseas.
"I am going to rest now".
Being the Defence Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is overseeing the disastrous bombing campaign of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, for over two years against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He visited President Trump at the White House in March and hosted U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May in Riyadh in April. His rise comes at a crucial time for Saudi Arabia as it is locked in a battle for regional influence with arch rival Iran, bogged down in a controversial military intervention in neighbouring Yemen and at loggerheads with fellow US Gulf ally Qatar.
Regionally, she added, the crown prince's rise nearly certainly means the continuation of "a more assertive Saudi policy overseas and a strong alliance with the UAE in pursuing those policies", towards their shared goals of rolling back Iranian influence and stronger action against independent political Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood - a longtime target of the Emirati governnment. Iran and Saudi Arabia's rivalry has played out in proxy wars across the region and has deepened Sunni-Shiite enmity between hard-liners on both sides.
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