Dhahran, May 20 , SPA -- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz patronized here today Saudi Aramco company's cerebration of the 75th anniversary of the start of the oil industry in the kingdom and the establishment of Saudi Aramco. The ceremony was attended by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, Mr. Fahd bin Mahmood Al Saeed, Deputy Premier of Oman and the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Alahmad Aljabir Alsabah.

Upon the leaders' arrival at the venue of the ceremony in the city of Dhahran, they were received by Prince Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Region, Prince Jlwi bin Abdulaziz bin Mosaed, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Region, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company Ali Alnaimi, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for Petroleum Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, Advisor at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and President of Saudi Aramco Company and Chief Executive Abdullah bin Salih bin Jumaah.

Then, the leaders shook hands with senior executives of the company.

Following that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, graced the visitors record with the following remarks keyed on the electronic screen: Thanks to God who blessed us of his generous gifts as we celebrate the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Saudi Aramco; we are proud of its achievements and its employees over all generations. You have always been an example of giving, sincerity and efficiency in work and in serving the country.

I wish you God's help to continue this excellence for the good of the country and the world.

Having taken his front position at the main platform, along with the other leaders of the GCC countries, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques took to the podium and delivered the following speech:
In the Name of God, most Merciful, most compassionate

Dear Brothers,
Islam was and still is God's greatest grace on us and is the most we are proud of. Some 75 years ago, we were on the verge of completing our national unity and were ushering in an economic stage, another grace of God. What a noble stage it was that pushed us to shoulder our humanitarian role and had mutual effect on the world around us. Accordingly, we never felt fear nor lagged behind but steadfastly played our historic duty at the Arab, Islamic and international arenas.

May I send the most noblest gratitude and thanks to the maker (after God) of our Unity and the initiator of our energy dream, the father of the people of Saudi Arabia late King Abdulaziz.

At the moment of signing the Convention on the Oil Concession in 1352 H., King Abdulaziz was keen that it includes the best terms that ensure the interests of the people of the Kingdom including the recruitment and training of their sons to run this giant company in the future with full understanding of the importance of common interests of the concessionaire company, paving the way to gradually turning the company into a purely Saudi integrated company, leading the world oil companies in terms of integration and management.

The State's policy has created the conditions of success and distinction: granting the company the flexibility to develop its plans and to launch its practical operations, along with the settlement of technology and the use of international expertise in the required fields.

Our visit today is just a visit to a company that is playing its unique and efficient developmental, national and even political role, making it an important tributary of the Saudi international policy in the area of energy supply to confront global crises and will, God willing, remain so.

After that, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Bin Ibrahim Al Naimi, who is also Chairman of Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco, delivered a speech in which he welcomed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, GCC leaders and honorable attendees.

He gave a detailed account on the history of Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producing and exporting company.

He recalled May 29, 1933 as a day in history for the company and a huge shift in the modern history of the Arabian Peninsula, as the first explorers came to begin an era of exploration for oil in the territory of the Kingdom.

Since, Saudi Arabia has become a country with global economic weight and religious prestige, given the abundant quantities of oil and a moderate economic policy of its government, he said.

Referring to the upstream and downstream oil industry, he said the Saudi supply and refining industry spread inside and far beyond the oceans.

He added that the company has achieved what the founder late King Abdulaziz wanted when he put his conditions for recruiting and training the Saudis in the oil industry, citing that the rate of Saudis taking jobs at Saudi Aramco now reached more than 86 percent.

He said Saudi Aramco is proud of its staff, and the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

He said within ten years, seven huge oil projects in Riyadh, Shibh, and Dhahran, Ras Tanura, Al-Hawiya, Haradh, and Qatif were found. The company is now preparing to receive, in the near future, huge new projects located in various parts of the Kingdom, he added.

Following him, the President of Saudi Aramco and Chief Executive Abdullah bin Saleh bin Jumaa said that about 55,000 male and female Saudi employees joined the company.

He added that for seventy-five years ahead, Saudi Aramco established its place as an integral, unique body and given its size, role and sensitivity of national and global levels, the industry will remain the backbone of life in the world for many decades to come.

He reported that the focus of the company's future will continue in several key areas, notably further development of human potentials, the expansion of investment in research and development of advanced techniques, including efforts to extract oil wealth, provide more fuel and environmental conservation. The company will also continue to develop and modernize production capacity and achieve added value through building networks of refining, marketing and petrochemical industries, including the complementary efforts to enhance private sector development in order to achieve its business and support the national economy.

The head of Saudi Aramco then announced the laying of the foundation stone by the monarch of King Abdulaziz Center for the Enrichment of Knowledge.

Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud laid the foundation stone for King Abdulaziz Center for Enrichment Knowledge.

The events were attended by Prince Mashaal bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Allegiance-Pledge Commission; Prince Met'eb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Interior Minister; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Abdul-Ilah bin Abdulaziz; Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence, other princes and senior officials.

© Saudi Press Agency 2008