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 of Saudi Arabia appointed Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan to replace Prince Khalid bin Salman as ambassador to the US. 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 trust in appointing her to this position.

Princess Reema bint Bandar is the daughter of former long-time ambassador Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, who served as 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 during her father's time as ambassador to the US. Before her appointment as ambassador, she made many efforts to eliminate old-fashioned thinking, aiming to empower women in this Islamic country.

Saudi Arabia is known as a strict Islamic country for women. The country ranked 141st out of 144 countries surveyed in terms of gender equality, only above Syria, Pakistan and Yemen (according to the 2016 report on the 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 major roles in society.