Saudi Arabia appoints first female ambassador to the US

Saudi Arabia's appointment of Princess Reema bin Bandar as ambassador to the United States marks the first time in the country's history that a woman has held the role of a senior diplomatic ambassador.

Sputnik News reported that on February 24, a royal decree from Saudi Arabia appointed Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan to replace Prince Khalid bin Salman as ambassador to the United States. In addition, Prince Khalid, younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was also appointed as Deputy Minister of Defense.

In a post on her personal Twitter page, PrincessReema bint Bandar thanked the Crown Prince for his confidence in appointing her to this position.

Princess Reema bint Bandar is the daughter of former long-time ambassador Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud. He was the head of the Saudi embassy in the United States from 1983 to 2005. He was later appointed Secretary General of the National Security Council, and also served as Director General of Saudi Intelligence.

Princess Reema was born in Riyadh, but grew up in Washington while her father was ambassador to the United States. Before her appointment as ambassador, she made many efforts to eliminate old-fashioned thinking and move towards empowering women in this Muslim country.

Saudi Arabia is known as a strict Islamic country for women. It ranks 141st out of 144 countries surveyed for gender equality, only above Syria, Pakistan and Yemen (according to the 2016 report on gender gap by the World Economic Forum WEF). However, in recent times, Saudi Arabia has made great strides in women's rights, gradually breaking down harsh laws and starting to let women take on larger roles in society.