Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir Thursday spoke of the strong relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, saying that the two countries continue to strengthen those ties. Al-Jubeir's comments came during a meeting of an “Ambassador's Panel” made up of the current US, and Saudi ambassadors, and previous US ambassadors to the Kingdom, as part of the 18th annual National Council on US-Arab Relations conference. Al-Jubeir said that the “historic” US-Saudi relationship, which began in the 1930s, is now growing “broader, and deeper, and stronger” than ever due to the efforts of both countries to expand on political, economic, and social exchanges. Both the Saudi ambassador and the other panelists touted the some 21,000 Saudi students now studying in the United States as a great example of the exchange. Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (from 2002 to 2003) Robert Jordan, echoed the praise for King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, saying “King Abdullah is a perfect example of actions speaking louder than words.” Newly-appointed US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith attributed the Saudi-US stronger ties to the efforts of King Abdullah and President Barack Obama.
