Saudi Arabia’s former Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has died according to family members and a foreign ministry spokesman.
Born in 1940, Prince Saud was appointed in 1975 and held the position for forty years, making him the world’s longest serving foreign minister. He was replaced on April 29 by Adel al-Jubeir, the then ambassador to Washington.
During his tenure, Prince Saud oversaw the emergence of Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s most influential diplomatic players. In particular, he built strong diplomatic ties with the west.
His death was announced via Facebook by Nawaf al-Faisal, one of the Prince’s relatives, and was later confirmed by Osama Nugali, a foreign ministry spokesman.
The news was also acknowledged by the Prince’s nephew Saud Mohammed al-Abdullah al-Faisal.
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