From Amirudin Ahmad
RIYADH, May 14 (Bernama) -- US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia reaffirms the longstanding strategic partnership between the two nations, said Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, he said the decades-long defence and security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US would continue to strengthen.
He said efforts are underway to further boost bilateral trade, highlighting the strong and strategic economic ties between the two nations.
“Saudi investments in the US are guided by the Kingdom’s national interests,” he said.
On regional issues, Farhan said Saudi Arabia and the US shared a common stance on the importance of ending the conflict in Gaza and welcomed Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria.
“The meeting between the Crown Prince, President Trump, (Syrian Vice President) Farouk al-Sharaa, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscored the significance of supporting Syria,” he said, adding that the Kingdom would take a leading role in supporting the Syrian economy.
Earlier, leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and US President Donald Trump convened in the Saudi capital for the GCC-US Summit to discuss key regional and global issues and strengthen cooperation across various sectors.
Hosted by Saudi Arabia, the summit coincides with Trump’s visit to the Kingdom and underscores the strategic importance of the GCC-US partnership in addressing pressing challenges in the Middle East.
The GCC comprises six member states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Previous US-GCC summits were held in 2022, 2017, 2016 and 2015.
Trump, who arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday morning, also participated in the Saudi-US Investment Forum while in the Kingdom.
From Riyadh, Trump will travel to Doha, Qatar on Wednesday (May 14) and Abu Dhabi, UAE on May 15.
--BERNAMA
