PARIS: French Senator Nathalie Goulet received Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, and Ambassador Fahad Al-Ruwaily, the Kingdom’s envoy to France, in Paris on Monday.
The princess is visiting France in her capacity as a member of both the International Olympic Committee and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The visit included a tour of the Senate, and a discussion about various topics including Saudi Arabia’s participation at the recently concluded Paris Olympics, areas of cooperation and the growth of women’s sports in the Kingdom.
In a statement to Arab News en Francais, Goulet said: “We welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Reema’s visit to the Senate today, where I commended her on her recent speech at (the) Olympic Committee and the impressive growth in her county’s female athletic participation. Saudi Arabia is making huge strides in women’s empowerment and Princess Reema is an embodiment of those strides.”
The princess recently gave a speech at the 142nd session of the IOC where she stated that the unfair media criticism of Algerian Olympic gold medallist boxer Imane Khelif must stop, adding that “kindness and human dignity must prevail every time.”
Prior to being appointed ambassador to the US, Princess Reema played a crucial role in the implementation of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms involving the inclusion of women in sports, and has been championing female athletes through the initiatives and programs overseen by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Sport.
Goulet, a lawyer by practice, represents the Orne district of Normandy in the Senate. She has vast experience as vice chair of the foreign affairs committee and chair of the France Gulf Cooperation friendship group, and is the author of the book “The ABC of Terror Financing.”
