German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday without wearing a headscarf. She is in the country for talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Merkel was greeted by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and other officials upon her arrival at Jeddah on Sunday.
The 62-year-old like other female Western visitors did not cover her hair upon arrival in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his successors in her first visit to the kingdom in seven years, saying she pressed them on women’s rights, the war in Yemen and other sensitive issues.
After her meetings in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, she told German journalists travelling with her that she raised human rights concerns with Saudi leaders, including the rights of women.