Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud

Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: عبد العزيز بن سلمان آل سعود ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin Salman Al Suʿūd; born 1960) is a Saudi royal and politician who has served as the Saudi Arabian minister of energy since September 2019. He is the first royal to serve as energy minister. He was the assistant oil minister of Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2017. In 2017, he was made state minister for energy affairs.

Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud
Minister of Energy
In office8 September 2019 – present
PredecessorKhalid al-Falih
MonarchSalman
State Minister for Energy Affairs
In office22 April 2017 – 8 September 2019
MonarchKing Salman
Assistant Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
In office2005 – 22 April 2017
Monarch
Deputy Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
In officeJuly 1995 – 2005
Monarch
Born1960 (age 62–63)
SpouseSara bint Khalid bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Issue3
Names
Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
HouseAl Saud
FatherSalman bin Abdulaziz
MotherSultana bint Turki Al Sudairi
Alma materKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Early life and education

Prince Abdulaziz was born in 1960.[1][2] He is the fourth son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.[3] His mother is Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi, who died at age 71 in July 2011.[4][5] She was the daughter of Prince Salman's uncle, Turki bin Ahmed Al Sudairi,[6] who was formerly the governor of Asir Province.[7] Abdulaziz bin Salman is the full brother of Fahd bin Salman, Ahmed bin Salman, Sultan bin Salman, Faisal bin Salman and Hassa bint Salman.[5]

Abdulaziz bin Salman received a science degree in industrial administration from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.[3] He also holds an MBA in industrial administration from the same university in 1985.[8]

Career

Abdulaziz bin Salman began his career as a lecturer at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, followed by a period as an acting director of the research institute there, dealing with energy studies. Later, he served as the manager of the economic and industrial research division at the same institute.[8]

In 1987, he became an advisor at the oil ministry. During his tenure, he is said to have had tense relations with the oil minister, Hisham Nazer.[9][10] Prince Abdulaziz was promoted to deputy oil minister in June 1995.[3] He was also appointed undersecretary for petroleum affairs, a body founded in June 1996.[9] In addition, he was the head of the energy rationalization committee.[11]

His term as deputy oil minister lasted until 2005 when he was appointed assistant oil minister.[8][12] His term as assistant oil minister ended on 22 April 2017 when he was made state minister for energy affairs.[13] During this role, he achieved a major breakthrough in talks with OPEC member Kuwait to resume production in the neutral zone between the two countries, after a four-year halt.[14]

On 8 September 2019 he was named as the minister of energy.[15]

Influence

As assistant oil minister, Prince Abdulaziz was regarded as a significant figure in Saudi politics since he dealt directly with the Kingdom's major source of income, petroleum. He is said to be popular and has supporters who have benefited from their support of him and his father, King Salman.[9] Prince Abdulaziz was considered to be one of the future key players in Saudi Arabia when the grandsons of King Abdulaziz begin to rule the country.[16] He was also considered to be a potential successor to the former oil minister, Ali Naimi.[17]

Other roles

Prince Abdulaziz is a member of the board of governors of the following organizations:[8] Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Oxford Energy Policy Club and the Institute of Petroleum. He is honorary president of the Saudi Economic Association.[8][18] He is also the supervisor-general of the Prince Fahd bin Salman Charity Association for Renal Failure Patients Care.[19][20]

Personal life

Abdulaziz bin Salman is married to Sara bint Khalid bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz (born 1966).[3] They have three children: Prince Salman, Prince Khalid and Princess Sultana.[21]

Ancestry

References
  1. Joseph A. Kéchichian (1 December 2015). "Saudi Arabia and the Al Sa'ud" (Research report). Asan Institute for Policy Studies. pp. 51–66. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. "Saudi Arabia's succession: Runners, riders, and dynamics". The Gulf Blog. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  3. Sharaf Sabri (2001). The House of Saud in commerce: A study of royal entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I.S. Publications. ISBN 81-901254-0-0.
  4. "Princess Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi dies". Arab News. 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  5. "Kingdom mourns loss of princess". The Siasat Daily. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  6. "Sultana, wife of Riyadh Emir, passes away". Saudi Gazette. 3 August 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  7. "Sultana bint Ahmad bin Muhammad Al Sudairi". Datarabia. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  8. "H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz". Gulf Environment Forum. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  9. Joseph A. Kéchichian (2001). Succession in Saudi Arabia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780312238803.
  10. Simon Henderson (1994). "After King Fahd" (PDF). Washington Institute. Archived from the original (Policy Paper) on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  11. "Saudi Arabia looking to reduce domestic electricity consumption" (PDF). OPEC Bulletin. XLIV (2). February–March 2013.
  12. Wael Mehdi (1 April 2014). "Saudi Arabia names Naif Al Otaibi Deputy Oil Minister". World Oil News Center. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  13. "Saudi Royal decree announces new appointments, restores benefits to government employees". Arab News. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  14. Ros Krasny; Vivian Nereim (8 September 2019). "Saudi Prince Abdulaziz Becomes First Royal Heading Oil Ministry". Bloomberg.
  15. Rania El Gamal (8 September 2019). "Saudi Arabia names veteran prince as energy minister". Reuters. Dubai. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  16. "The Al Saud succession challenge". AMEinfo. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  17. "Prince Salman Named Saudi 'Crown Prince'". Arab Times. Riyadh. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  18. "Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Chairs Saudi Economic Society Session". SAMIRAD. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  19. Prince Fahd bin Salman Charity Association for Renal Failure Patients Care
  20. "HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman patronizes the medical awareness campaign against renal diseases". Ministry of Health. 10 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  21. Anjli Raval; David Sheppard (9 June 2021). "Abdulaziz bin Salman, the prince in charge of Saudi oil, thrives on 'calculated unpredictability'". Financial Post. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  22. "Royal Family Directory". www.datarabia.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
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