Davutoğlu announces new government, Çavuşoğlu new foreign minister

EU Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was appointed as new foreign minister to replace Davutoğlu, and his job was taken over by Volkan Bozkır. Two deputies to the new prime minister who were rumored to have rifts with former Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ali Babacan and Bülent Arınç, have kept their positions in the new government. Babacan was in charge of economic affairs in the last Cabinet. Two close aides of Erdoğan during his time as prime minister, Yalçın Akdoğan and Numan Kurtulmuş, were appointed as new deputies prime ministers in the new government. They replaced Emrullah İşler and Beşir Atalay, who were key figures in orchestrating talks with the imprisoned leader of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Today's Zaman reports. In addition to Babacan, others in charge of the economy, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi, also kept their posts, as did Energy Minister Taner Yıldız. The new composition of the government shows that Erdoğan-era policies are unlikely to be changed under Davutoğlu at a time when Turkey faces economic and security challenges. Economic growth -- one of the pillars on which the popularity of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is based -- is slowing and the map of the Middle East is being rapidly redrawn amid advances by the extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Davutoğlu, hand-picked by Erdoğan as his successor, was elected the new chairman of AK Party at a congress on Wednesday, replacing Erdoğan who was elected as president in Aug. 10 election and was officially sworn-in on Thursday. Davutoğlu was elected the new chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at a congress on Wednesday, replacing Erdoğan, who was elected president on Aug. 10 and was officially sworn-in on Thursday.