YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Ethnic-Armenian Arthur Nazarian has been appointed the Minister of Energy and Water of Lebanon. Lebanese “Azdak” daily informed “Armenpress” about this. Lebanon announced that it has formed a government on Saturday after more than 330 days of deadlock between the various political blocs.

The announcement was made by Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Suheil Nouji in the afternoon after a meeting was conducted between Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and other officials at the Baabda Presidential Palace outside of Beirut.

The final line-up of an encompassing 24-member cabinet include: Tammam Salam as Prime Minister, Samir Mokbel as Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Nouhad al-Machnouk as Interior Minister, Sejaan Kazzi as Labour Minister, Boutros Harb as Telecommunication Minister, Gebran Bassil as the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alain Hakim as Minister of Economy and Trade, Elias Bou Saab as the Education Minister, Alice Chabtini as Minister of Displaced, and Michel Faraon as Tourism Minister.

Arthur Nazarian will head the Energy Ministry, Ghazi Zaiter for Public Works and Transport, Ashraf Rifi for the Justice Ministry, Remond Arayji as Culture Minister, Abdel Matlad Hennawi for Youth and Sports, Hassan al-Haj Hassan for Industry, and both Nabil de Freij and Mohammed Fneish will serve as State Ministers.

Arthur Nazarian was born in Beirut in 1951. Arthur Nazarian married to Thimar Kalajian and has three sons. He continued his university studies in the United States, where he graduated as a textile engineer in 1973.