Riyadh, May 13 (IANS) US President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as he began a four-day visit to the Middle East which would also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), later this week.
As he reached Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, welcomed Trump at the King Khalid International Airport. Trump was greeted with a 21-gun salute and trumpet fanfare upon his arrival. The Crown Prince and US President then engaged in cordial talks over Saudi coffee at the airport’s VIP lounge.
Later, the Crown Prince received President Trump at the Royal Court in Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
“We are thrilled to welcome President Trump to Riyadh for a visit that marks another milestone in our strategic partnership. Together, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America stand as a force for good, advancing peace, security, and prosperity across the world,” Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the US posted on X.
The trip comes at a crucial time as US–Iran concluded the fourth round of indirect nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday.
President Trump on Monday said that the Iranians were being “very reasonable” and “talking very intelligently” in negotiations with Washington over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“Soon I’m heading over to the Middle East, and we’ll see what we’ll do in regards to Iran. I think you have some very good things happening there,” Trump said, speaking to reporters before departing for Riyadh.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touted Trump’s trip as a “historic return to the Middle East”.
“Eight years later, President Trump will return to re-emphasise his continued vision for a proud, prosperous, and successful Middle East, where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationships, and where extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges,” the Press Secretary said.
Accompanying Trump on the four-day tour is US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the United States looks to strengthen ties with the Gulf partners.
“Secretary Rubio’s engagements with senior officials will advance solutions to global and regional challenges, expand bilateral trade and investment, and reaffirm our strategic partnerships,” said the US Department of State.
The United States has come under widespread regional criticism for backing Israel’s military escalation and proposing the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza. Regional analysts hope that Washington could play a meaningful role during Trump’s visit by promoting a ceasefire and easing tensions, Xinhua news agency reported.
With many issues in the Middle East “unsolved,” the need for the United States to coordinate with regional countries appears to be “more pressing than ever,” said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Centre.
Saudi Arabia marks Trump’s first major official overseas visit of his second term. On his inauguration day in January, Trump said that he would choose Saudi Arabia as his first destination “if Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another 450, or 500 billion (dollars’ worth of US products)”.
–IANS
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