Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Agency overview
Formed	1930
Preceding agency	Directorate General for Foreign Affairs
Jurisdiction	Saudi Arabia
Headquarters	Nasseriya Street, Riyadh
Agency executives	Prince Saud al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nizar bin Obaid Madani, Minister of State
Website
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/

Saudi Arabia

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Saudi Arabia

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Arabic: وزارة الخارجية‎ Wizārat al-Khārijīyah) is the ministry responsible for handling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's external relations. The ministry oversees "political, cultural and financial international relations" and monitors the Kingdom's diplomatic relations.^[1] It was created in 1930 by a royal decree issued by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The head of the ministry, the Foreign Minister, is a member of the Saudi Council of Ministers.

Senior officials

The senior officials in the ministry are as follows:^[2]

Official	Rank
Prince Saud al-Faisal	Minister
Dr. Nizar bin Obaid Madani	Minister of State

History

While consolidating the newly formed Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz, King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, established foreign diplomatic relations by sending representatives and receiving delegations from various states. In 1926, he established the Directorate General for Foreign Affairs in Mecca.^[3] In 1930, a royal decree was issued to elevate the directorate general to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. King Abdul Aziz appointed his son (and future king) Prince Faisal as the first Foreign Minister.^[4] The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was formally established by King Abdul Aziz in 1932.

The ministry began establishing diplomatic missions abroad. The number of missions increased from five in 1936 to 18 in 1951 and expanded further after that.

Aside from a brief interjection, Prince Faisal continued to serve even after he succeeded the throne as King. After his assassination in 1975, Faisal was succeeded as Foreign Minister by his son, Prince Saud al-Faisal.^[4] Saud is currently the longest-serving foreign minister of any country in history.^[5]

It is rumored that the next Foreign Minister will be Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saud's younger brother, after Saud retires.^[6]

List of previous ministers

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Saud al-Faisal receiving the credentials of the Iraqi Ambassador in 2009.

The following is the list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs since 1930:^[4]

1. Prince Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (1930–60)
2. Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel (1960–62)
3. Prince (later King) Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (1962–75)
4. Prince Saud al-Faisal (1975–present)

Previous Ministers of State:^[3]

1. Omar Al-Saqqaf (1968–74)
2. Nizar bin Obaid Madani (2005–present)

Building

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh was designed by Henning Larsen. It blends both vernacular and monumental styles of Islamic architecture.^[7]

Built in 1984, building consists of meeting, conference and prayer rooms, a library and a banquet hall.^[7] Externally, the building appears as a fortress that was carved out of a single piece of stone.^[8]

Larsen received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1989 for his work on the building.^[7][8]

References

1. ^ "Ministry Addresses". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/ministry_addresses_in_saudi_arabia.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
2. ^ "Senior Officials". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saudi Arabia). http://www.mofa.gov.sa/SITES/MOFAEN/ABOUTMINISTRY/SENIOROFFICIALS/Pages/default.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "حول الوزارة" (in Arabic). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saudi Arabia). 2005-05-05. http://www.mofa.gov.sa/aboutMinistry/Pages/aboutMinistry10.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Brief History". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saudi Arabia). 2005-05-05. http://www.mofa.gov.sa/SITES/MOFAEN/ABOUTMINISTRY/Pages/aboutMinistry34481.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
5. ^ Slackman, Michael (2009-12-09). "A Legacy of Regret for a Saudi Diplomat". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/world/middleeast/17faisal.html. Retrieved 2011-05-06. 
6. ^ Henderson, Simon (2010-10-22). "Foreign Policy: A Prince's Mysterious Disappearance". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130747807. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} "Ministry of Foreign Affairs". ArchNet. http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=535. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Rivas, Paul. "Islamic architecture personified by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh". The Saudi Gazette. http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010012160830. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 

See also

• Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia
• Politics of Saudi Arabia

External links

• Official website