By Saleh Fareed
JEDDAH — To mark the 61st anniversary of Tunisia’s independence, Sami Al-Saidi, the country’s consul general in Jeddah, hosted a reception on Monday.
The event held at Crowne Plaza Hotel was attended by a large number of diplomats, businessmen and media figures, in addition to members of the Tunisian community. The guest of honor was Jamal Bakr Balkhyoor, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Makkah region branch.
After the playing of Saudi and Tunisian national anthems, Al-Saidi cut the ceremonial cakes with other diplomats present.
Welcoming the guests, the consul general
stressed the excellent relationships between Tunisia and Saudi Arabia in various spheres of cooperation.
He said it was a matter of pride and great honor to address the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the anniversary of the independence of the Tunisian people.
“It is a great day for Tunisians to pay tribute to people who sacrificed their lives to gain freedom for our country,” he said.
“On this day, we salute all our national heroes and leaders who led us from confinement to freedom and contributed to build institutions of a modern state,” he continued.
The guests were given a red carpet welcome by the hosts and the consulate staff. Lively Tunisian music played and a film on heritage sites and other places of interest was screened with running commentary.
As per the norms of the Tunisian hospitality, dinner with a variety of dishes was served and most of the guests stayed on to interact with friends and the consulate staff.
