In his first public address to the nation as Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani emphasized that he has great respect for his father, the former Emir, and has no plans to deviate from the course they both have agreed upon for nearly a decade.

Though there will be new faces in government, Qatar will hue close to the 2030 National Vision and continue to work on developing its human talent, shoring up the health and education sectors and investing in sports, he said. All of those agenda items have already been on Sheikh Tamim’s plate for years.

Though the only country he mentioned by name was Palestine, the new Emir also said Qatar would not deviate from its mission to help the oppressed across the Arab World.

But, alluding to accusations that Qatar has tied up with the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Tamim said the country “is not a political party” and has tolerance for all ideologies and religions.

Restructuring planned

Meanwhile, the Emir added that Qataris are known to be humble people, saying “We must avoid arrogance. Vanity leads to mistakes.” He reiterated his father’s former intentions to increase efficiency in government by ending duplication, adding that restructuring the ministries was also on the agenda.

He ended by thanking the public and reiterating his love and respect for his father’s opinion and advice.

Sheikh Tamim has yet to announce his new team, but the two people who will replace Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, the former Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, have already been named.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani has been tapped as Qatar’s new Prime Minister. He formerly served as Qatar’s Minister of State for Interior Affairs since 2005.

The new foreign minister is expected to be Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Qatar’s current Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Notably, the speech did not include any mention of long-awaited legislative elections or a farewell to Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim.

Here is Sheikh Tamim’s speech in Arabic (via @osamaalassiry):

You can read the English translation here.

Thoughts?