RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday, the first visit by the top US diplomat in his new position.
Rubio had earlier met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, at the Saudi foreign ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh.
Mohammed Bin Salman and Rubio held discussions on recent regional and international developments, exchanging views on efforts to promote security and stability, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The State Department said the Crown Prince and Rubio spoke of the “importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security.”
“The Secretary highlighted the 80th anniversary this month of the 1945 meeting between President Franklin Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy, emphasizing the strength of the US-Saudi relationship,” State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. She said Rubio also looked forward to increased economic and defense cooperation between Washington and Riyadh and committed to further strengthening the bilateral partnership.
“They discussed ways to advance shared interests in Syria, Lebanon, and across the region, to include Red Sea security and freedom of navigation,” Bruce said.
Rubio and Prince Faisal discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Rubio’s trip to Riyadh coincides with Riyadh hosting US-Russia talks on the Ukraine war on Tuesday.
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff were also in the meeting with MBS and they’ll join Rubio for talks with the Russian delegation. According to the Kremlin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy advisor to President Vladimir Putin, will head their delegation.
