President Erdoğan was sworn in and started his mandate two days ago. Yesterday, he received Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to endorse the composition of the new government. International media and public opinion eagerly awaited this issue. Recently, much speculation has arisen concerning either a "new economic strategy" to be espoused by a new government or the perennial expectation of a "direction change" in foreign policy.

The composition of the new Cabinet will hugely disappoint those who were expecting a major upheaval, so long as the only surprise is the absence of any tangible surprise. The prime minister, having left his foreign affairs portfolio, nominated the former minister of EU affairs in his place. Mevlut Çavuşoğlu, the first Turkish parliamentarian ever elected to the presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will henceforth preside over the destinies of Turkish foreign policy. He will be replaced by former Ambassador Volkan Bozkır, a career diplomat, for the portfolio of the EU Ministry. Minister Bozkır had previously served as a secretary general for EU affairs in Ankara, as well as the permanent representative of Turkey vis-à-vis the EU. Hardly a more competent figure could have been nominated to this post among AK Party parliamentarians.

The management of the economy has not changed a bit: Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan is keeping his post and prerogatives, as well as Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Nihat Zeybekçi, minister of economy in charge of foreign trade. After the parade of names heralded in the media as possible replacements at the head of economy management, the team remains unchanged. This can also be seen as a very strong signal that the president wanted to send to the international finance community through his prime minister.

Three political figures join the cabinet: Numan Kurtulmuş, Yalçın Akdoğan and Nurettin Canikli, all three very close collaborators with President Erdoğan and long time political comrades. Their presence denotes a very strong will to continue with a consolidated team. President Erdoğan was able to readily win two major elections with the government in place, so he was very probably tempted not to profoundly alter a winning team. The continuity within the government, under the premiership of Davutoğlu, shows also that President Erdoğan wants to convey a strong message abroad: Turkish political stability and strategy are here to stay.

A cabinet does not just get its strength from longevity and coherence, team chemistry is also very important. It seems that this dimension has also been taken into good consideration. The departure of Beşir Atalay, a well-respected and senior figure in the previous government, can be seen as the only surprising change. Taking into consideration the terrible political and economic turmoil in the whole region, chiefly encompassing the Black Sea and the Middle East, Turkey has the responsibility to remain stable and strong. This is not only a duty to its own population but also to populations of neighboring regions and countries.