Saudi-US partnership ‘as strong as ever’: US official

RIYADH : The charge d’affaires at the US Embassy, Christopher Henzel, reaffirmed the need for strong Saudi-US partnership, saying bilateral relations are important for regional security and stability, and for the health of the global economy.
The envoy was speaking at the US Independence Day celebration at the diplomatic quarter on Tuesday night, which was attended by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar.
“In the Kingdom, the leadership is pursuing ambitious changes in order to equip Saudi Arabia to continue to develop and prosper into the new century,” said Henzel. “The relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia… is so important to both countries.”
He added that diplomatic ties were established in 1933, but the current relationship took root in 1945 when King Abdulaziz and President Franklin Roosevelt had their famous meeting aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal.
“If you visit our embassy, there is a gallery near the entrance where historical photographs on display document meetings of every American president, from Roosevelt through to (Barack) Obama, with Saudi kings. They are a reminder of the long history of US-Saudi relations,” Henzel said.
“The two countries cooperated closely through the early years, and our partnership continued through the Cold War and… our joint effort to liberate Kuwait.
“Today, that partnership is as strong as ever because we share fundamental interests in the security and stability of the region, and in the health of the world’s economy,” he said.
“Our two countries have developed strong ties in important fields including the defense sector, where the Kingdom enjoys a strong relationship with the US military and with US industry. This includes military training and sales of defense systems like the F-15SA, the largest foreign military sale in US history.” The first four of these advanced aircraft recently joined the Saudi Air Force.
In the effort to combat terrorism, the US and Saudi governments have worked together closely for years, he said.
Bilateral trade amounted to nearly $35 billion in 2016, and according to the Education Ministry, there are roughly 75,000 Saudi students on scholarships at American universities, and another 15,000 paying for their tuition.
Henzel said the US is “fully supportive of the ambitious goals” of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020.
“As Saudi Arabia continues to implement its far-reaching development agenda, we anticipate that trade and commercial partnerships between our two economies will grow even further.”