(WASHINGTON, DC) – Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir today addressed the 23rd annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference hosted by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Al-Jubeir described the historical and modern day significance of the Saudi-U.S. relationship and its role when facing critical challenges both domestically and internationally.
Ambassador Al-Jubeir also addressed the current regional transformation and instability in the Middle East, specifically the need to confront aggression and extremist ideology. “There is no space in our world for people who justify the killing of the innocent. There is no room in our faith as Muslims for anyone who kills the innocent because our faith teaches us that he who kills an innocent soul is as if he has killed all of humanity,” said Ambassador Al-Jubeir.
The Ambassador noted that, while the challenges the region is facing are grave and dangerous, they can be overcome with resolve, determination and strong cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
“Our two countries have been very close partners and allies in the war against terrorism. We work very closely together to go after the men, the money and mindset that is behind this,” said Ambassador Al-Jubeir. “Every time the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have come together, we have done wonders in terms of changing our region and by extension changing our world for the better.”
The Ambassador highlighted the unprecedented opportunities of the bilateral relationship. He stated, “I look at the numbers and I’m astonished by how positive and how extensive this relationship has been. Eight years ago, we had 7,000 Saudi students studying in the United States. Today, we have over 120,000 with their dependents.”
The two-day conference, titled “Framing and Charting the Region’s Issues, Interests, Challenges, and Opportunities: Implications for Arab and U.S. Policies,” featured a number of high-level speakers from the U.S. and the Middle East.
Video: http://bit.ly/1DygsbP
