POLITICS

Saudi Arabia, US can tackle a lot of things together: Crown Prince

Reuters Images/Jonathan Ernst
Reuters Images/Jonathan Ernst
Reuters Images/Jonathan Ernst
Saudi plans to invest $200 billion in the US
PHOTO

Washington — Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, held wide-ranging talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

The Crown Prince said that the United States and Saudi Arabia can tackle “a lot of things” together in the future, hailing the very deep relations between the two countries.

"We are working on a plan to invest $200 billion between Saudi Arabia and the US. The Kingdom has implemented around 50 percent of its economic agreements with the US,” the Crown Prince said, highlighting: “We are the oldest ally of the United States in the Middle East.”

President Trump said that his country’s relations with Saudi Arabia are “better than ever.”

" Saudi Arabia has been a great friend to the United States," he said.

According to Trump, he and the Crown Prince have become “very good friends in a short period of time.”

Trump said the US has “zero tolerance” for funding of terrorism.

He noted that Saudi Arabia is “working very hard” to cut off that funding.

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, opened a marathon tour of the United States with a stop in Washington.

The Crown Prince’s meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday was a tremendous opportunity to make progress on a range of issues and strengthen bilateral relations, a senior US administration official said.

Relations with the US “are at an all-time high,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said at a news conference on the eve of the White House talks.

The Crown Prince’s schedule will continue to evolve while he is in Washington. In addition to White House meetings, the Crown Prince will meet Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and congressional leaders from both parties.

In an op-ed piece published in The Washington Post on the eve of Crown Prince Muhammad’s visit, Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Khalid Bin Salman wrote that “the Crown Prince is not just here to talk politics; he is also here to talk business, specifically the bilateral investment opportunities made possible by his diversification strategy. The Crown Prince’s multi-city tour will lay the groundwork for King Salman’s visit to the United States later this year.”

After a week of meetings in Washington, Crown Prince Muhammad will head to the US financial center in New York where he will also meet United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The Crown Prince also has big economic plans, and over three weeks in the US he will meet businessmen in New York, tech mavens from Google and Apple Inc. in San Francisco, and entertainment bigwigs in Los Angeles. Other stops include Boston and Houston.

In his meetings with business, industry and entertainment leaders, the Crown Prince is aiming to cultivate investments.

Several dozen Saudi chief executives are expected to join him in touting investment opportunities in the Kingdom.

The official delegation accompanying the Crown Prince includes Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid Bin Salman, Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers Dr. Musaed Bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi, Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir; Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Eng. Khalid Al-Falih; Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan; Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad; Chief of General Intelligence Khalid Bin Ali Al-Humaidan and a number of senior military and civil officials.

© Copyright 2018 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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