The visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the United States comes in a period that witnesses fostering and expanding historic ties between the two countries.
Head of the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council Edward Burton told Asharq Al-Awsat: "Both the US and Saudi Arabia have a strong economic relationship. The United States is the kingdom's largest trading partner, and the Kingdom is one of the largest US export markets in the Middle East. "
Burton stated that Saudi Arabia signed the joint strategic vision with US President in May, and it included several agreements worth billions of dollars. The deals were divided into two: defense and energy. He added that the business leaders in the two countries declared more than $200 billion of commerce deals, including deals with Aramco, General Electric and Honeywell International.
In statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, Christopher Henzel, the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Riyadh, said he was confident Trump and the Crown Prince would “enjoy open and candid discussions on a variety of issues.”
The two countries share a fruitful partnership and permanent friendship that go back to 80 years.
“The world has changed amazingly since 1940, and with these changes, our partnership grew,” he added. “Our bilateral ties focused at the beginning on energy and security. But they developed later on to include a wide group of mutual interest topics.”
He underpinned that the kingdom is a primary partner in maintaining stability in the Middle East.
Henzel continued that Trump expressed the US concerns towards the Iranian attitude that seeks to harm security in the Middle East.
