Saudi US envoy stresses importance of deputy crown prince’s visit

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States on Wednesday stressed the importance of the current Washington visit by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki said that the visit will have a significant impact on the development of the joint interests between the two countries, in light of the welcome and the extended attention to his visit by American officials, the state-run SPA reported.

Prince Abdullah pointed out that the visit comes at a very favorable time - just weeks after the announcement of the kingdom’s National Transformation Program, a raft of reforms designed to wean the kingdom off oil revenues.

He said that the program had opened up many opportunities for investment, and that collaboration between the two countries is an important aspect of Saudi’s vision.

He pointed to the special attention given by King Salman to develop and modernize the kingdom’s armed forces, and the ongoing efforts by the deputy crown prince, who also serves as the kingdom’s defense minister.

Prince Abdullah also highlighted the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US in the area of defense, in light of the current conditions both in the Middle East and worldwide. He also stressed the kingdom’s commitment to combat terrorism and extremism.

The envoy said that the deputy crown prince visit’s schedule includes bilateral meetings with senior officials in the US government, private sector organizations, and institutions of intellectual and political representatives in the United States.

This article was first published on June 15, 2016 on the Arabic website of Al Arabiya News Channel.