Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki is the new ambassador to Washington.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday appointed Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki as its new ambassador to Washington, filling the post which was vacant for seven months, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

The 64-year-old new ambassador is an engineer who was born in the Saudi city of Taif in 1951. He had his primary, intermediate and secondary education in Saudi Arabia before pursuing his higher education in engineering in the UK.

The new ambassador was governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) between the years 2000-2004. His career debut was in the kingdom’s two main industrial cities in 1975. He later became Secretary General of the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu (RCJU) in 1985.

In SAGIA, he was renowned for supporting privatization strategies, observers say he has always worked towards a more economically open Saudi Arabia and was for his country’s membership in the World Trade Organization.

Sultan Al-Bazie, director of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, worked with Prince Abdullah when he was a media consultant at SAGIA.

“He [Prince Abdulla] showed an important side of his personality and that was when he was keen to constantly share information, articles from various fields to inspire us,” Bazie told Al Arabiya News.

The director said while the prince is passionate to show the cultural side of Saudi, “he completely realizes what is happening in the Saudi foreign policy.”

Bazie expects Prince Abdulla to be a “clear, honest face for the Saudi foreign policy especially in an important capital such as Washington.”

Like his previous Saudi ambassadors in the U.S., Bazie said the prince will continue improve relations between Washington and Riyadh.

Prince Abdullah is the Kingdom’s 9th ambassador to the U.S., his predecessor was Adel Jubeir, who vacated his post after becoming the Saudi foreign minister in April 29.

The first Saudi ambassador to Washington was Assaad Faqih followed by Abdullah al-Khayal, Ibrahim Suwail, Ali Reda, Faisal al-Hojaylan, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Prince Turki al-Faisal, and Adel al-Jubeir who served from 2008 till 2015

Saudi Arabia has also announced the appointment of new ambassadors to other countries including Jordan, France, Germany and the Maldives.