ALBAWABA - The Minister of Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, received the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Kingdom, Safia Taleb Al-Suhail, SPA News Agency reported.
During the meeting, both the minister and the Iraqi ambassador discussed a number of topics of common interest with the attendance of several officials. The meeting was attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al-Faleh, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Security Affairs, Muhammad bin Muhanna Al-Muhanna.
Who is Iraq's first female ambassador to Saudi Arabia?
Safia Al Suhail, an experienced Iraqi politician and former ambassador in Rome and Amman, made history in June, when she presented her credentials in Riyadh, becoming Iraq's first female ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Her nomination came at an important time when relations between the neighboring countries were reaching new heights of cooperation. Between 2005 and 2014, Al Suhail served as an independent member of the Iraqi parliament for two terms, earning her seat against the constitution's 25% quota reserved for women by the constitution.
She served on the foreign relations committee and chaired the Iraqi-EU parliamentary committee until being appointed ambassador to the foreign ministry in Baghdad in 2014. She was Iraq's ambassador to Jordan from 2016 to 2019, and to Italy from 2020 to 2022.
Her appointment is seen as recognizing women's contributions to diplomacy and pointing to a more inclusive and diverse future in foreign relations in Iraq.
After Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait in 1990, the kingdom cut ties with Iraq, but Riyadh and Baghdad began to mend relations in 2016. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad, and the two nations established a coordination committee to strengthen ties.
