Manama: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, Qatar’s new prime minister, was the country’s Minister of State for Internal Affairs from 1995 to 2013.

He holds degrees in policing science from Durham Military College, UK, and in law from Beirut University.

According to his biography, he started his police career as an officer of patrols at the Rescue Police Section in 1985. He was regularly promoted until he was appointed minister of state for Interior Affairs in February 2005.

His biography says that he completed more than 23 qualifying and specialised training courses at home and abroad in the field of Special Forces.

Shaikh Abdullah, 43, is married and has five children.

As prime minister, he will replace Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Al Thani, who also served as Qatar’s foreign minister.

As minister, he has regularly stated the significance of international dimensions for Qatar’s policies.

In a speech at the 79th Interpol general assembly in Doha in 2010, he said that “Qatar has very quickly understood that the keys to success lay in closer co-operation and co-ordination between countries, in the sharing of information and best practices between experts from different countries and backgrounds, as well as in the signing of international conventions and treaties”.