8 new Saudi ambassadors take oath

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received eight new Saudi ambassadors at Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday and wished them the best of luck before they leave the Kingdom to take up their respective assignments. “The eight new ambassadors are veterans with exceptional integrity and achievements,” said Alauddin A. Alaskary, deputy minister for protocol affairs. Their oath-taking ceremony was attended by top Saudi officials, including Minister of Defense Prince Salman and Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, deputy minister of foreign affairs. Veteran diplomat Saud Al-Sati has been named new ambassador to India while Fahed Al-Rasheed will head the Saudi mission in Kuala Lumpur. Al-Askary said Mustafa Al-Mobarak has been named the new envoy to Indonesia and Mansour Al-Mazmoomi to Singapore. Saud Al-Dael has been named envoy to Niger, Hisham Al-Sweilem will be posted in Ghana, Hani Moumena in Tanzania and Zaher Al-Onaizi in Burkina Faso. Speaking on the occasion, the newly-appointed ambassadors expressed their gratitude to the king for his confidence and trust in them. Al-Sati will head the Saudi mission in New Delhi. Relations between the Kingdom and India have strengthened considerably in recent years with greater cooperation in regional affairs and an increase in bilateral trade. Saudi Arabia is one of the largest suppliers of oil to India, which is one of the top seven trading partners and the fifth biggest investor in Saudi Arabia. Sati, who served in several missions including in the US, will be leaving for New Delhi shortly. He is credited with changing the dynamics of bilateral ties while he was posted in the US. Al-Rasheed will travel to Malaysia shortly. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have close ties on all fronts and are also prominent members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Additionally, there is a sizable population of Malaysian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Indonesia is another important country for the Kingdom, where a new envoy is being posted. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations only last year. Singapore enjoys warm and long-standing ties with countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia. Since 2004, when then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong initiated a series of official visits to the region, Singapore has significantly broadened and deepened its political and economic engagement of the Middle East. As an indication of the growing ties shared between the Kingdom and Singapore, there has been an upsurge in high-level visits between both sides in recent years.