Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir addressed the 19th annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference hosted by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) . NCUSAR is an American, non-profit, non-governmental educational organization dedicated to improving America's knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. The two-day conference, entitled, "Arab-U.S. Relations: Going Where?" featured a number of high-level speakers from the U.S. and the Middle East. This year's topics included business and financial development in the Middle East, policy directions from the League of Arab States, defense cooperation and geo-political dynamics.
Ambassador Al-Jubeir's speech, entitled "An Ambassador's View from Washington," discussed the history of the Saudi-U.S. relationship, the Kingdom's position in the world and the region and his hopes for the future. Ambassador Al-Jubeir stressed the durability and strength of the Saudi-U.S. relationship, stating, "Over the past seven decades, our relationship has seen the coming and breaking of many storms. We have dealt jointly and effectively in facing the challenges to our respective nations as well as to the [Middle East] region. And with every decade and with every experience, our relationship has come out stronger than it was before."
When discussing Saudi Arabia's role in the world and the region, Ambassador Al-Jubeir said, "The Kingdom's objective is to seek stability and security for its people and for the Region. Saudi Arabia is a status quo power. We have no ambitions beyond our borders. We would like to live in a safe peaceful and prosperous neighborhood. Our efforts have been geared towards building bridges, not burning them."
Following his speech, Ambassador Al-Jubeir took questions from the audience about the Arab Peace Initiative, which he said remains on the table and guarantees peace not only with all Arab nations, but all Muslim nations. In addition, he was asked about energy security and supply, and responded with a call for increased research into alternative sources of energy to build a smoother transition away from oil reliance. He was also asked about Saudi Arabia's unemployment rate and burgeoning youth population and answered, "The future of Saudi Arabia lies with its people. Our youth are our most precious natural resource and how we prepare them for a future, the opportunities we give them in terms of education and the opportunities we give them in terms of the marketplace, are critically important to the wellbeing of Saudi Arabia in the decades ahead."
Source: Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Information Office
