JEDDAH: Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi is Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Canada. He has been working in this position since 2014. 

He is also the president of the Ottawa Diplomatic Association and dean of the Council Of Arab League Ambassadors.

Al-Sudairi was born in Riyadh in 1963. He holds a master’s degree in political studies. 

Before he became the Kingdom’s ambassador to Canada, Al-Sudairi served as chair of the working group I of the UN Disarmament Commission.  He held that position for three years, between 2012 and 2014. His working group was focused on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. 

Al-Sudairi joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996. In 1997, he joined Saudi Arabia’s permanent mission to the UN in New York. He was elected to be a rapporteur of the Third Committee of Human Rights for the Asian Group at the UN session. He also served as the director general of the Specialized Organizations Department of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Al-Sudairi participated in organizing and presiding over several international working sessions. He also headed the Kingdom’s delegation in several international meetings.

Moreover, Al-Sudairi has published several studies on the working mechanisms of the UN, and on international relations. 

On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia declared the ambassador of Canada persona non grata and ordered him to leave in 24 hours, over Canada’s “interference” in Saudi Arabia’s domestic affairs. Moreover, all new business and investment transactions with Canada have been frozen. 

The Kingdom also recalled its ambassador, Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi for consultation. The envoy on Monday tweeted: “The Canadian position is a grave and unacceptable violation of the Kingdom’s laws and procedures. In addition to violating the Kingdom’s judiciary and a breach of the principle of sovereignty.”