Maija Nevalainen, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul at the Embassy of Finland in Riyadh, received at her residence last week a group of Saudi and expat women from different nationalities and occupational backgrounds. Her objective in holding the meeting was to “network with influential Saudi women and to continue doing so”. “Moreover, because I am the first female diplomat from Finland in Saudi Arabia, I felt it was my responsibility to make an effort to contact Saudi women and understand their life and world,” Nevalainen said. She described the exclusively female gathering as a “get-together for Saudi women, represented by dignitaries, businesswomen, journalists and authors, to converse with foreign female diplomats”. The eclectic mix of guests included women from different sectors of Saudi society: Princess Hailah Bint Abdulrahman Al-Saud, RCCI Director of International Affairs and Forum; members of the Shoura, philanthropic organizations and commissions, media persons, as well as representatives from the Italian and Danish Embassies. Nevalainen, who took charge of her country's mission in Riyadh in August last year, described the bilateral relations between the two countries as ‘excellent'. “Our President Tarja Halonen visited the Kingdom in 2007. The last visit from a Saudi official to Finland was made this year in February by the Saudi Minister of Education,” she said. “Saudi people are friendly and I have been received very warmly here. The only limitation is that there are hardly any possibilities to interact with Saudi women. I am lucky to be part of this meeting in which I can hold discussions with them,” she added. “In Finland,” she continued, “we have a female president, and moreover, of the 20 ministers, 12 are women. We emphasize women's and children's issues in our development projects in underdeveloped countries.” At the end of the meet, Nevalainen said she was content to have interacted with many “interesting personalities”. “I hope this process of networking and dialogue with prominent Saudi women and foreign female diplomats continues to grow,” she said.
