Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saudi Arabia) facts for kids
| وزارة الخارجية السعودية | |
Seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia
|
|
.jpg) Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2019 |
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1930 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Saudi Arabia |
| Headquarters | Nasseriya Street, Riyadh |
| Agency executive |
|
| Child agency |
|
| Website | Official English Site: https://www.mofa.gov.sa/en |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is a government department in Saudi Arabia. Its main job is to manage Saudi Arabia's relationships with other countries around the world. This includes looking after political, cultural, and money-related international connections. The ministry also keeps an eye on Saudi Arabia's diplomatic ties. It was first created in 1930 by a special order from King Abdulaziz Al Saud. It was the very first ministry the King set up.
Contents
History of the Ministry
When King Abdulaziz Al Saud was bringing together the new Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz, he started building relationships with other countries. He did this by sending people to represent Saudi Arabia and welcoming visitors from different states. In 1926, he set up a special office called the "directorate general for foreign affairs" in Mecca. Another small office was also opened in Jeddah. The first person in charge of this office was Abdullah Al Damluji.
In 1930, King Abdulaziz issued a royal order to make this office a full ministry. It was then called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. King Abdulaziz chose his son, Prince Faisal, to be the very first foreign minister. The country we know today as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was officially formed by King Abdulaziz in 1932.
At the beginning, the ministry had five main sections. These included a private office and departments for affairs related to the Middle East, administration, politics, and consular services. The ministry also started setting up diplomatic offices in other countries. The first one opened in Cairo in 1926, and another followed in London in 1930. The number of these offices grew from five in 1936 to 18 by 1951, and it has continued to grow since then.
Prince Faisal kept serving as foreign minister even after he became King. After he passed away in 1975, his son, Prince Saud, took over as foreign minister. Prince Saud was the longest-serving foreign minister in the world at that time. In 2007, the ministry started its own magazine called The Diplomat.
Senior Officials Today
Here are some of the most important people working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
| Official | Role |
|---|---|
| Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Waleed A. Elkhereiji | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Sara Al Sayed | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy |
| Adel al-Jubeir | Minister of State for Foreign Affairs |
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Below is a list of the people who have served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs since the ministry began:
| No. | Image | Name | Started role | Left role | Served under King |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg) |
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | 19 December 1930 | 22 December 1960 | Abdulaziz (1932–1953)
Saud (1953–1964) |
| 2 |  |
Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel | 22 December 1960 | 16 March 1962 | Saud (1953–1964) |
| 3 | |
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | 16 March 1962 | 25 March 1975 | Saud (1953–1964)
Himself (1964–1975) |
| 4 |  |
Saud bin Faisal Al Saud | 13 October 1975 | 29 April 2015 | Khalid (1975–1982) |
| 5 | .jpg) |
Adel al-Jubeir | 29 April 2015 | 27 December 2018 | Salman (2015–present) |
| 6 | .png) |
Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf | 27 December 2018 | 23 October 2019 | Salman (2015–present) |
| 7 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud | 23 October 2019 | Present | Salman (2015–present) |
Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs
These individuals have served as Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs:
- Omar Al Saqqaf (1968–November 1974)
- Mohammad Ibrahim Massoud (November 1974–March 1975)
- Saud bin Faisal Al Saud (March 1975–October 1975)
- Nizar Madani (2005–2018)
- Adel al-Jubeir (2018–Present)
The Ministry Building
The main building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in Riyadh. It was designed by a famous architect named Henning Larsen. The building mixes traditional local designs with grand, impressive styles of Islamic architecture. Larsen even won a special award, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, in 1989 for his work on this building.
Built in 1984, the building has many important rooms. These include spaces for meetings, conferences, and prayers, as well as a library and a large hall for banquets. From the outside, the building looks very strong, almost like a fortress carved from a single piece of stone.
See also
- Ministries of Saudi Arabia
- Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia
- Politics of Saudi Arabia
