The Palestinian authorities have announced the formation of a new government Cabinet.

President Mahmoud Abbas announced the composition of the new government by a presidential decree on Thursday.

The new Cabinet of Ministers includes an Armenian woman minister, too, the Palestinian Wafa media reports. Accordingly, Varsen Aghabekian is a member of the new Palestinian government; she was appointed State Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine.

Aghabekian was born in Jordan in 1958. She is a member of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine. In 1983, she received a master's degree at Purdue University, Indiana, USA, and a doctorate in political affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1988-2008, Aghabekian worked at the University of Jerusalem as an associate professor, and then—as a dean.