Saudi Ambassador Speech on National Day 2015

Speech by Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Australia and New Zealand, H.E Nabil Al Saleh delivered in Hyatt House, Canberra, Australia 29 Sept 2015.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow Saudis.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere condolences to all the families of those who lost their lives in Makkah, and express my sympathies to those injured, wishing them a quick recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you as we mark this year the 85th National Day of Saudi Arabia. It is days such as these that provide us the opportunity to celebrate our heritage, cohesion and accomplishments.
But it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges we face in building more peaceful and prosperous lives for our citizens, and, that of the global community as a whole.

Today, in 2015, a few things have become clear. Despite the challenges facing the global community, the Kingdom’s domestic, regional and international policies have remained consistent.

First. Although oil prices have dropped, the Kingdom’s financial position remains very strong. The government continues to commit to record spending that is focused on economic development.

Second. We remain committed to regional stability. That is our aim and objective. Maintaining this is not just in our own interest, but that of the international community.
It is through this spectrum that we have, along with a coalition of countries, been compelled to intervene in military operations in Yemen at the request of its legitimate government.
Our soldiers have put their lives on the line. Some of our service-men have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend and reinstate the legitimate government, protect the people of Yemen from radical organisations, and open up the way for political talks.

Our efforts have not stopped there. We have contributed over 4 billion Australian dollars in recent times towards the assistance for the Yemeni people, and we will continue to do so.

These contributions make Saudi Arabia the world’s largest provider of humanitarian aid and economic assistance to Yemen. We have also rectified the legal status of around half a million Yemeni nationals who have entered the Kingdom in recent months. Taking the total number of Yemenis in Saudi Arabia to around 1.5 million.

Regarding Syria, the Kingdom has long supported the plight of the Syrian people. We continue to support the moderate Syrian opposition, and stress the importance of reaching a peaceful solution.
Recent media reporting and accusations surrounding the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts regarding refugees from Syria are plainly wrong. Arising from Bashar Al-Assad’s brutal treatment of his own people, the Kingdom has received over 2.5 million Syrians since the beginning of the Syrian conflict.

We do not treat them as refugees. We have granted our Syrian brothers and sisters legal residency status and are treated as our own citizens. Furthermore, we have also provided them with free medical care and access to schools and universities.

Moreover, the Kingdom has provided almost a billion Australian dollars in aid to Syrians in refugee camps. And testament to our humanitarian efforts on the global stage, the United Nations placed Saudi Arabia as the sixth largest donor of foreign aid last year. In the past 4 decades, we have provided over $160 billion Australian dollars in aid to more than 90 countries.

Thirdly. The Saudi Government supports global efforts to combat terrorism as well as the United Nations global counter-terrorism strategy. Because there is no greater responsibility than to keep our citizens safe.
Whilst the Kingdom has this year been the victim of terrorist attacks, our government and people are determined to prevent further threats of terrorism, that seek to embed fear and instability. There is no place for such perverted views and actions.

In fact, the Kingdom was one of the first countries that introduced laws to deal with the existing threat. We legislated laws punishing all those that had participated or are participating in hostilities outside the kingdom. We are of the firm belief of the importance of regional and international cooperation to combat this escalating threat. That is why we have also been working diligently with our regional and international partners. Furthermore, we have provided a large part of the financial resources required to establish the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre. And our efforts in anti-money laundering has not gone unnoticed. We are ranked first in the MENA region and we are amongst the top 10 globally in anti-money laundering and in combating the financing of terrorism.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Turning now to more local issues, I am pleased that our bilateral relationship with Australia continues to develop. I am happy to inform you that we have just opened a new Defence Attaché Office in Canberra.
And I am happy to have with us here tonight, our Defence Attaché, Captain Sami Almutairi. Furthermore, I am also pleased to announce that we will soon be opening a General Consulate in Sydney.

In concluding my remarks, I should emphasise to you the importance the Kingdom places on Education. Because we firmly believe that, our national economic prosperity is ultimately linked to an educated society. A society that is innovative and research driven. We have about a quarter of a million of our nationals with their families studying abroad. 13 thousand of these are in Australia. Here with us tonight are some of our students who have made significant breakthroughs in their fields. I hope you will take the opportunity to meet our eight nationals.

Thank you.

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