US consulate celebrates 237th Independence Day in Jeddah

The American consulate in Jeddah celebrated America's 237th Independence Day this week.
The event was attended by Ambassador James Smith and his wife Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith, Anne Casper, the American consul general and the guest of honor, Ambassador Ahmed Tayeb, director general of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Makkah region.
A number of other diplomats, dignitaries and friends of America were also present. A colorful ceremony was presented by the marine security guard detachment.
Casper said that the American consulate decided to celebrate the national day early because of the many people who travel out of the country in July, and because of the heat. The US celebrates its national day on July 4.
“Each year on independence day, 350 million Americans remember the cornerstone values of American society, that all of us are created equal and that the Creator has endowed each of us with inalienable rights. Among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These ideals are celebrated and cherished not only on July 4 but throughout the year,” she said.
She said it was also an occasion to celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. “We also take this opportunity to appreciate the long standing friendship between America and Saudi Arabia. This year the unique theme to highlight was volunteerism,” she added.
The United States and Saudi Arabia established diplomatic relations in 1933. Trade between the two countries stood at $ 74 billion last year.
“It is not surprising, therefore, that Saudi Arabia is the United States’ largest trading partner in the Middle East and was ranked last November as our ninth largest trading partner worldwide, a very impressive statistic,” said Smith.
“In 2010, President Obama set the very ambitious target of doubling US exports from their 2009 level. With Saudi Arabia, we are well on our way toward achieving that goal, with the value of our non-defense exports to this country increasing by almost 68 percent. During the same period, the value of your exports to the United States has more than doubled,” he added.
Tayeb said the relationship between the two countries was based on common values and mutual understanding. He said the two countries strengthened ties recently by making visa processing easy. Saudis can now get visas to the US in 24 to 48 hours.
“This excellent relationship can’t be built up by leaders only but the people to people relationship is important. For example, 70,000 Saudi students are studying in America. This is great evidence of our relationship,” he added.