Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, started the third leg of his trip to the United States by meeting with CEO and chairman of Japanese Softbank Masayoshi Son in New York, during which a number of investment opportunities were discussed.
He also met with a number of CEOs and directors of major US companies in which the Softbank Vision Fund invested, where they reviewed the joint investment areas within the framework of the Vision Softbank Fund.
Prince Mohammed is set to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Tuesday evening at the UN headquarters.
A UN source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks will tackle main issues in the region, adding that UN officials believe that Saudi Arabia can play a key stabilizing role.
The talks will also focus on "the tense situation in several Arab countries," according to the source, including the situation in Syria and Yemen, as well as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the progress in the peace process.
In their recent statements, the Sec-Gen and several UN officials focused on Saudi Arabia's significant financial contributions, especially those made to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as well as its efforts in the fight against terrorism.
In this regard, Saudi Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya al-Maalami said the Crown Prince's agenda with the Secretary-General will cover all contemporary issues. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that several topics such as the Yemeni crisis, war in Syria and the Palestinian cause will be discussed in depth.
The Crown Prince's New York program includes meetings with prominent political, financial and economic figures starting on Monday, including a dinner banquet with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Bloomberg is considered one of the world's prominent businessmen and business leaders.
On Tuesday, the Crown Prince will also sponsor and participate in the Saudi-US CEO Forum, after which he will host a gala dinner. The forum will be attended by influential economic figures, like CEO of JPMorgan Jamie Dimon, CEO of KKR and Co. Henry Kravis, and CEO and President of NASDAQ Adena Friedman. Senior executives from BlackRock Philipp Hildebrand and Mark Wiseman will also attend the event, as well as DowDuPont Executive Chairman Andrew Liveris, who is listed as co-chair of the Saudi-US forum.
On Thursday, Blackstone Group LP CEO Stephen Schwarzman will host an event for the Crown Prince, after which the Prince is scheduled to stop in Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to enhance investments.
