Dubai: US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, media reports confirmed. This is his first known conversation with a foreign leader since assuming office, and it comes amid a complex situation in the Middle East. During the call, the Crown Prince congratulated Trump and conveyed the congratulations of King Salman to the President after being sworn in, wishing the American people further progress and prosperity.
The pair discussed bilateral cooperation to establish peace, security, and stability in the Middle East, in addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism. A freshly struck hostage-and-ceasefire deal is leading to hopes for greater normalisation between Israel and its neighbours. In the call, Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump “discussed ways of cooperation between the Kingdom and the United States of America to establish peace, security and stability in the Middle East region, in addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism,” according to a statement from the Saudi official news agency.
Saudi Arabia was Trump’s first stop abroad during his first presidency. He said in the Oval Office this week that he chose the kingdom because officials there vowed to make significant investments in the United States. He said he would consider returning to Saudi Arabia if similar investments were made. Prince Mohammed appears to have received the message.
In Wednesday’s call, Prince Mohammed stressed “the Kingdom’s desire to expand its investments and trade relations with the US in the next four years by an amount of $600 billion, expected to increase if additional opportunities become available”. Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince cultivated close relations during his first term, helped in part by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.