Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja explained

Successor1:Fawzi bin Abdul Majeed Shobokshi
Term Start1:1991
Term End1:1996
Primeminister:King Abdullah
Predecessor:Iyad bin Amin Madani
Successor:Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Khudairi
Term Start:14 February 2009
Term End:November 2014
Birth Place:Mecca
Alma Mater:King Saud University
Birmingham University
Nationality:Saudi Arabian

Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja (born 1940) is a former Saudi ambassador and the minister of culture and information between 2009 and 2014.

Early life and education

Khoja was born in Mecca in 1940.[1] He obtained a bachelor of science degree from King Saud University. Then he earned a master of science degree in organic chemistry in Birmingham University in 1967.[2] He also holds a PhD in organic chemistry at Birmingham University in 1969.[1]

Career

Khoja was appointed dean of the faculty of education in Mecca in 1979,[1] and his term lasted until 1984.[2] Then he served as the undersecretary for information affairs at the ministry of information from 1984 to 1991.[2] Later, he served as the Saudi Ambassador to various countries, including Turkey (1991), Russia and Morocco.[1] He was also Saudi ambassador to Lebanon[3] and was in office from 2004 to 2009. During this period of time, King Abdullah's foreign policy towards Lebanon was highly intense and also seen as an interventionist approach. On 14 February 2009, Khoja was appointed minister of culture and information, replacing Iyad bin Amin Madani in the post who had been in office since February 2005.[1] [4] Khoja's appointment was regarded as part of King Abdullah's reform initiatives.[5]

Khoja's term as the minister of culture and information ended in November 2014 when he was fired from the office.[6] Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Khudairi replaced him in the post on 8 December 2014.[7]

Khoja is considered to be a relative liberal and was close to King Abdullah, former ruler of Saudi Arabia. Khoja is also a poet. However, some of his works are banned in Saudi Arabia, although he himself was the minister of culture and information.[8]

Other positions

Khoja was the chairman of the General Assembly of Makkah Establishment for Publishing and Printing, publisher of now-defunct newspaper Al Nadwa.[9] As of 2011 he was also the chairman of the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) Executive Council.[10]

Book

In 2020 Khoja published his memoirs printed by Jadawel, a Beirut-based company.[11]

Notes and References

  1. News: Profiles. Saudi Gazette. 15 February 2009. 28 August 2012. dead. 24 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120924170406/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=2009021529327.
  2. Web site: Biographies of Ministers. Saudi Embassy Washington DC. 28 August 2012. dead. 16 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110616222323/http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/Biographies-of-Ministers.aspx.
  3. News: Ian Black. WikiLeaks cables: Syria stunned by Hezbollah assassination. The Guardian. 7 December 2010. 12 January 2013.
  4. Web site: 14th February 2005 - Saudi Cabinet Meeting. SAMIRAD. 8 September 2012. 14 February 2005.
  5. News: Saudi King appoints first woman to council. 1 September 2012. CNN. 14 February 2009.
  6. News: Saudi names new health minister to combat MERS virus. AFP. Business Standard. 8 December 2014.
  7. Web site: King Abdullah names new ministers. 11 December 2014. 8 December 2014. Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington DC. dead. 16 December 2014. dmy-all. https://web.archive.org/web/20141216083037/http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news12081401.aspx.
  8. News: Hanna Labonté. Saudi Man of Letters and Cautious Reformer. 4 September 2012. Qantara.de. 23 August 2010.
  9. News: King Holds al-Safa Reception. 13 August 2012. 12 August 2012. Saudi Press Agency. dead. 16 January 2014. dmy. https://web.archive.org/web/20140116075827/http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/readsinglenews.php?id=1021863&content_id=&scroll=1.
  10. News: IAAs BNA Elected as IINA Executive Council Member. 28 August 2012. Bahrain News Agency. 10 December 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20140103141626/http://www.iaa.bh/news-details.aspx?id=70. 3 January 2014. dead.
  11. News: Memoirs of Abdulaziz Khoja… from the Soviet Collapse to Mysterious Murder Attempts in Turkey – Part One. 10 December 2022. Asharq Al-Awsat. 5 March 2020 . London.