Reception of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the 93rd anniversary
By Eleni Vasiliki Bampaliouta
On September 25, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Greece held a reception for the National Day of Saudi Arabia in Athens on the occasion of the celebration of the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the country.
The event was attended by a large number of people from the political world such asthe Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikos Dendias, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Costas Fragogiannis, the Chief of the General Staff of National Defense Mr. Konstantinos Floros, the former Minister of Justice and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Costas Tsiaras as well as guests from the state world and the area of culture.
In his speech the ambassador of Saudi Arabia H.E. Dr. Saad Alammar, stated that the theme of this year’s National Day is “We dream and achieve”. The phrase is a strong reflection of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which covers far-reaching economic, social and cultural reforms, providing a better quality of life for those living in Saudi Arabia and a supportive business environment for local and foreign investment.
It is the story of the transformation of the Kingdom that is reflected in the Mega projects that the Kingdom is betting on in its Vision.
The reforms have touched every aspect of the social life of the people of the Kingdom, both public and private. It is a journey towards a future full of opportunities for the citizens of the Kingdom and for international companies and investors.
And he continued by saying:
“Your Excellency, our distinguished guests, It is indeed my privilege to welcome you all this evening to celebrate our 93rd National Day.
Every year Saudi Arabia celebrates this day to commemorate the unification of the Kingdom on 23 September 1932 and its establishment at the hands of His Majesty King Abdulaziz bin Abdulahman Al Saud. Dear guests, we are here tonight to celebrate our National Day and our historic and close friendship that has bound Greece and Saudi Arabia for years.
Three years from now, Saudi Arabia and Greece will celebrate a century of diplomatic recognition that began in 1926 when the first Greek diplomatic delegation was sent to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since then, the two countries and their peoples have enjoyed friendly relations and interaction.
This year, in 2023, we celebrate another milestone in our diplomatic relationship and cooperation. It is 60 years since our Embassy opened in Athens in 1963. With the opening of the Embassy, our bilateral relations and mutual cooperation grew and continue to develop.
In recent years, bilateral relations between our two countries have gained tremendous momentum. The visit of the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Riyadh in 2021, and the visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Athens in 2022 confirmed the strategic nature of the Saudi-Greece relationship, his best level.
The strategic character of our bilateral relations is clearly seen in the close and continuous coordination and support in international organizations. As we know, Saudi Arabia has officially submitted its bid to host the World Expo 2030. This is a strategic priority for Saudi Arabia and we really appreciate the support we received from Greece in this matter and we are grateful for the support of its bid of Saudi Arabia.
Dear friends, I would like to conclude by emphasizing the fact that Saudi Arabia highly values its relations with Greece. There are great opportunities and huge gain for both countries to cooperate and be closer.
This will not only be good for the two countries, but also for the region as a whole. Thank you so much for joining us on this special occasion and God bless you all.”
At the reception, videos with tourism content from Saudi Arabia were shown. The festive atmosphere was completed with musical sounds from the East and the distinguished guests enjoyed varieties of rich culinary meals worthy of the country’s name.
