RIYADH — Inas Bint Ahmed Al-Shahwan, the new ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Sweden and Iceland, thanked the Saudi leadership for the trust reposed in her, saying that this shows the extra keenness and concern of the wise leadership on achieving unique and matchless empowerment of Saudi women. On Thursday, Al-Shahwan took the oath of office before Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to become the third Saudi woman to hold the position of Saudi ambassador after Princess Reema Bint Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the United States, and Amal Bint Yahya Al-Moallimi, ambassador to Norway. The oath-taking ceremony was held in the presence of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. Al-Shahwan expressed thanks and gratitude to King Salman and the Crown Prince for her appointment. Al-Shahwan hoped that she could meet the expectations of the wise leadership in serving the Kingdom with dedication and sincerity and strengthening bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and the two friendly countries. Ambassador Al-Shahwan noted the unprecedented empowerment of women in the Kingdom, under the guidance of wise leadership, during which they scored many achievements and successes in various fields, including diplomatic work, representing the Kingdom abroad as well as at international forums. She also thanked Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan for his keenness and interest in supporting and empowering Saudi female diplomats, who have become one of the pillars of the political and diplomatic work system within the Kingdom and abroad. It is noteworthy that Al-Shahwan joined the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007 and held a number of key positions in 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 ministry's Department for Political and Economic Affairs. She handled a number of important political files and represented the Kingdom at many regional and international forums. She also participated in providing training to a number of ministry employees and various government sectors by delivering lectures and holding workshops in the field of international relations. Al-Shahwan obtained a master's degree in international relations from Australia. She was a member of the first batch of the Future Leaders Program launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2017. She obtained the Emerging Leadership Program certificate from Harvard University.
