RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji received Jean-Philippe Linteau, the newly appointed ambassador-designate of Canada to the Kingdom, on Wednesday. Al-Khuraiji welcomed the ambassador-designate and wished him success in his new duties. Linteau also visited the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Djibouti to Saudi Arabia, Dya-Eddine Bamakhrama, and took to Twitter to extend his gratitude for the advice from the Djibouti envoy as he begins his mission in the Kingdom. The Embassy of Canada’s Twitter page welcomed Linteau this week, tweeting an image of his first day as the Canadian envoy on July 5, and writing: “Excited to welcome our new Canadian ambassador-designate on his first day in Saudi Arabia.” On July 6, Linteau officially presented his credentials to Saudi Undersecretary for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al-Smari. This comes after a statement issued by Global Affairs Canada on May 24, announcing the appointment of the new Canadian ambassador for Saudi Arabia. The statement said that the decision to appoint an ambassador follows discussions between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Bangkok on Nov. 18, 2022. The statement added that there was a “desire for both sides to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect and common interests.” Before taking on his role as the ambassador-designate to the Kingdom, Linteau was the consul-general in Dubai from 2019 to 2023. He has also served as an investment counselor and then senior trade commissioner in New York City from 2011 to 2016. Before that he was an international business development program manager in Washington from 2007 to 2011 and a political officer in Colombo from 2005 to 2007. Early in his career, Linteau served as trade commissioner in Seoul from 1998 to 2001 and in Kuala Lumpur from 2001 to 2004. Linteau has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from McGill University and holds a master’s in geography from the University of Toronto. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1997.