A swearing-in ceremony for Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Sweden and Iceland, Inas Al-Shahwan, was held on Thursday, making her the Kingdom’s third female diplomat after Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan and Amal Al-Mouallimi.
Al-Shahwan took the oath before Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud.
A number of other newly assigned diplomats also attended the ceremony, which was held via videoconference.
In 2007, Al-Shahwan joined the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She held several positions at the ministry, the last of which was the advisor to the deputy foreign minister for political affairs.
She is also the first woman to hold a department manager position at the foreign ministry’s political and economic affairs agency.
Over the years, Al-Shahwan tackled a number of important political issues and represented the Kingdom in many regional and international forums. The new diplomat also helped train several foreign ministry staffers and civil servants in various government sectors.
She did so by providing lectures and workshops on international relations.
Al-Shahwan holds a master’s degree in international relations from Australia, and she is a member of the first batch to complete the Future Leaders Program launched by foreign ministry in 2017. She also received a Certificate in Emerging Leadership from Harvard University.
The Kingdom has appointed new ambassadors to the Czech Republic, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Comoros, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Kenya, Afghanistan, Cuba, Chad, and Burkina Faso.
