"I love your country and admire your president [Franklin D. Roosevelt], and am very grateful for the services which members of your mission have shown me and my people. You come wanting only to help us."
King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud to U.S. medical mission in Riyadh, January 10, 1937
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America have a longstanding relationship dating back to the 1930s, when American businessmen first traveled to the Kingdom to help develop the country’s natural resources. Today, the Saudi-U.S. relationship is stronger than ever. On issues of national security and economic opportunity, the Saudi-U.S. relationship is vital. The Kingdom remains one of America’s closest allies and strongest economic partners in the Middle East. The trade relationship is driven by mutually beneficial interests that facilitates and enables market access and job creation in both countries. With over 300 joint ventures, American companies are the largest group of foreign investors in the Kingdom. Our two countries continue to cultivate this partnership through a broad range of cultural and educational exchanges. As the number of students and tourists traveling between the two countries continues to grow, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. will strengthen their relationship in the decades to come.
As history has shown, the Saudi-U.S. friendship has not only continued but has weathered many storms, including numerous regional and global conflicts and crises and as the relationship of these two nations matured, it has reflected the ideals of independence, justice and peace that are cornerstones of the United Nations Charter.
