Cairo: Two women ambassadors were among 11 Saudi envoys, who took the oath of office before King Salman bin Abdul Aziz this week amid vigorous empowerment of women in recent years in the country.
Haifa Al Jedea has been appointed as head of Saudi Arabia’s mission to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.
Nesreen Al Shebel has been posted as ambassador to Finland, according to Saudi Arabia’s official news agency SPA.
The latest appointments raise to five the total number of Saudi Arabia’s women ambassadors.
In 2019, Princess Reema bint Bandar was appointed as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, becoming the first woman in the kingdom’s history to serve as ambassador.
In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.
In another move enhancing women’s empowerment, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel without a male guard’s approval and to apply for a passport, easing long-time controls on them.
