Saudi embassy hosts first annual Saudi-US partnership dinner in Washington

Washington DC witnessed the celebration of the profound partnership between Saudi Arabia and America on Thursday.

The inaugural of the KSA – USA Partnership Event dinner was held in the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, hosted by the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington.

The dinner and ceremony was celebrated in the presence of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi ambassador to the US Khalid bin Salman.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated, in his first address in the US at the inaugural KSA – USA Partnership Event dinner: “Tonight we are celebrating over 70 years of military and security cooperation with the United States. Saudis and Americans have trained together and fought together to confront shared threats and to defend common interests. Our relationship with the United States is fundamental to security in the Middle East, and we are grateful for your support in building a better future together.”

“My own brother and our Ambassador to the United States experienced this firsthand as a pilot training with the US Air Force. He often reminds me that policy may be made in Riyadh and Washington, but it is in training and then in battle where trust is built, where friendships are formed, and where unbreakable ties are forged,” he added.

Prince Khalid said: “Just as America’s public and private sectors have played a pivotal role in the Kingdom’s modernization after the discovery of oil almost eight decades ago, the US will have a major role in achieving our vision.”

“Our partnership is a force of good, a force for peace, for stability, for international order, and economic prosperity," he added.

The Saudi embassy announced initiating the annual event on twitter, stating that it is meant to celebrate more than 80 years of solid partnership. The ceremony honored US veterans that participated in “Operation Desert.”

During the ceremony, Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, gave a speech highlighting the history of the friendship and the established relations between the two countries.

Prince Bandar Bin Sultan commends the bold and decisive leadership of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and asserts that “We have the power to shape history, if done together."

"I will not address you today as guests but as true friends," he told the audience, attended by many American political figures and US officials.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met earlier with members of the US Republican and Democratic parties from the US House of Representatives.

The dinner was attended by former US Secretary of State Jim Baker and Vice President Dick Cheney, and former Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, on behalf of his father, George H. W. Bush, along with many well-known legislators and high profile personalities.