Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the meeting between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and King Abdul Aziz on board the USS Quincy in 1945, the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia John Abizaid made an visit to Jeddah and reenacted the famous meeting on board the USS Farragut in honor of the occasion.
Ambassador Abizaid gave an exclusive interview to Arab News from the USS Farragut speaking about the foundation of the relationship with the Saudi Royal Family “When I think how much has happened since that 75 years of the meeting, we should be very proud of how things have gone. I’m very confident that the cooperation will stay strong, the energy will stay strong, education will stay very strong in developing economies especially when looking at the Vision 2030 developments.
The celebration was also attended by Hall Delano Roosevelt, FDR’s grandson, and a grandson of King Abdul Aziz, Prince Sultan bin Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz. Hall Roosevelt said the meeting was a celebration of America’s “enduring relationship” with Saudi Arabia and recognizing that a “great man, King Abdul Aziz, created a great nation.”
Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command Admiral James Malloy was also onboard the USS Farragut and added that the close relationship between the US and Saudi Royal Family continues to ensure regional security, inspite of the ongoing war in Yemen,
“Because it’s a tight cooperation, it responds to threats in the region. Threats in the maritime, threats to the free flow of commerce, whether it is state-sponsored or non-state-sponsored, we both recognize that this threatens the region as a whole. When that happens, you call your close friends and our closest friends are the Saudi Royal Naval Forces,” said Malloy.
