Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia Martina Strong affirmed her country’s support for the Kingdom to achieve its Vision 2030 objectives, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.
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Launched in 2016, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and shift away from its reliance on oil.
On the sidelines of the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Strong reportedly told SPA that the US Pavilion at the Show includes 75 companies, some of which have been working with Saudi companies for years in strategic partnerships.
“The Defense Show has a positive impact on developing collaboration between the two countries in the field of defense. This event is unique in the Kingdom in the defense sector,” said Strong.
She added that ties between Saudi Arabia and the US were formed almost 80 years ago aboard the USS Quincy, a US Navy cruiser, where King Abudalziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud met with Franklin Roosevelt, the US President at the time, in 1945.
“They began [their] friendship and launched our strategic partnership that we enjoy today,” she said, adding that it covers every domain but that the two countries’ security collaboration has always been the “core” of their partnership.
Saudi Arabia’s first World Defense Show took place in Riyadh earlier this week and was concluded on Wednesday. It featured almost 600 global companies, representing over 40 countries.
Founded by the Kingdom’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), the event featured some of the world’s most cutting-edge, futuristic defense equipment.
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