Ulla-Maija Nevalainen, the deputy chief of mission at Finland’s embassy and the first European woman to serve as a diplomat in Saudi Arabia, also claimed there were only five women diplomats in the Kingdom, including two that had not yet started their respective posts.

“The female representation in the city’s diplomatic world is quite low despite the fact that I don’t feel any problem in dealing with Saudis as a woman,” said Nevalainen, who was speaking at a farewell reception hosted in her honor by Finnish Ambassador Martti Isoaro at his residence on Wednesday night.

Diplomats from other countries, Finnish nationals and Nevalainen’s friends and colleagues were among those who also attended.

Nevalainen, who will be leaving for Helsinki on Saturday, described her posting in Riyadh as “very interesting”. She said that the diplomats posted in Riyadh could learn a lot because Saudi Arabia has many pros and cons, although she did add that the experiences were both exciting as well as satisfying career wise. “A lot of changes have taken place in the Kingdom, but a lot needs to be done on women issues,” she added.

Saudi Arabia has over 125 diplomatic missions including embassies, consulates and foreign commercial offices.

Nevalainen added that the Danish Embassy in Riyadh would soon have a woman diplomat while the Spanish Embassy will also have one as a second in command.

However, she added that the list of foreign diplomats in Riyadh is not representative of the international diplomatic community, which reflects an increasing number of women joining foreign services. She also lamented the lack of Saudi women in such positions.

Nevalainen, however, admitted that there had been substantial developments in terms of women’s issues in the Kingdom.

“In the Shoura Council, there are now 12 women advisers and I am quite hopeful that women will also be inducted as fully-fledged Shoura members,” she said.

She said she would like to see more progress on the issues of guardianship and women driving.

On her future plans, she said that she would work for the Finnish Foreign Ministry for three months before she retires.

Recalling her stay in Saudi Arabia, she said that the locals were hospitable and friendly people.

She said there was, surprisingly, quite a lot of interaction within the diplomatic and local community, despite security concerns and prevalent Saudi traditions.

Nevalainen, who is also a keen artist, also organized a painting show on the sidelines of her farewell party. She presented her own paintings, featuring landscapes, animals and abstract ideas.

She added that she would take painting lessons to brush up on her skills on her return to Finland.