US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday that the US congratulates Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the Kingdom’s 91st National Day.

“My best wishes to the people of Saudi Arabia for a happy national day and a successful year ahead,” Blinked said.

“The United States of America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have shared eight decades of partnership, cooperation, and mutual friendship. The strength of our ties has propelled our two nations’ prosperity and has underpinned the region’s security,” Blinken said in the statement.

The US and the Kingdom will be expanding their ties to include addressing the challenges of climate change as well as supporting a strong international response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

The two countries will also continue to work together to “address shared security challenges and forge a future of peace and economic prosperity,” the top US official added.

Saudi National Day is celebrated annually on September 23 to mark the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 following a royal decree from King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud.