Saudi Foreign Minister praises Trump’s visit to Riyadh

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir praised the visit scheduled to be conducted by U.S President Donald Trump to Riyadh, describing it as historic. He stressed that the visit will perform a major role to support the partnership between the two countries during the coming period. He expressed his optimism over the future of Saudi-American relations, saying that the U.S president chose Riyadh to be his first stop in his first foreign trip to provide clear evidence over the position of Saudi Arabia.

“We have seen Iran’s record of aggression increase not decrease” since the nuclear pact, Al-Jubeir said, citing the country’s support for “terrorism” and efforts to destabilise other countries. “Saudi Arabia agrees with the US administration’s view in relation to the role of the United States in the world and in relation to uprooting terrorism,” he added, referring to Daesh and Al-Qaeda.

A Saudi-US Summit will be held Saturday, followed by a Gulf-US Summit and an Islamic-US Summit Sunday. The summits will be held during Trump’s visit to the Kingdom, the first country he will visit as president. The visit will have historic significance, said Al-Jubeir, as Trump is set to meet with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, and Arab and Islamic countries during his time in the Kingdom.

Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia this weekend will reinforce the partnership between Riyadh and Washington and boost their joint fight against Islamist militants, the foreign minister said.

The visit “will bolster the strategic partnership” between the US and Saudi Arabia, and open a new chapter in mutually beneficial cooperation between the Islamic world and the West, he said. The two countries agree on the need to face regional problems, including in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, Al-Jubeir said, adding that Riyadh and Washington were discussing several “initiatives” related to arms sales, economic and security cooperation and tackling terrorism.

“Several agreements will be signed, whether political agreements... and big economic agreements,” he said. He said relations started in the 1930s when US oil companies discovered oil in Saudi Arabia, and developed a military aspect in the 1950s, going from strength to strength ever since despite regional challenges over the decades such as radicalism, the Soviet threat and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Source: Ahram online