Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is set to meet with President Obama on September 4, 2015, the first visit by a Saudi head of state since King Abdullah in September of 2010. This is the second time President Obama and King Salman will meet in person this year and follows a busy 2015 for bi-lateral meetings between the two countries.
President Obama greets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif in Saudi Arabia.
President Obama and senior members of the administration visited the newly-crowned King Salman in Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah in January, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Deputy Crown Prince visited Washington in June for a GCC summit. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter have each made visits to Saudi Arabia since the start of 2015.
In the appointment of the former Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir as Minister of Foreign Affairs following the passing of Prince Saud al-Faisal, King Salman put in charge of his diplomatic policy a man with extensive ties and experience in dealing with the U.S. government. Minister Al-Jubeir is known for being an astute political analyst and an articulate advocate for Saudi national interests as they relate to the United States as well as the rest of the globe.
The last time a Saudi King visited the United States was in 2010, when King Abdullah came for a “working meeting” with President Obama at the White House. “I always value His Majesty’s wisdom and insights, and we have had a very productive session speaking about a whole range of issues that relate to both relations between our two countries but also issues of prosperity and security around the globe,” President Obama said of King Abdullah. “[W]e will continue to work together to expand the people-to-people contacts, the educational programs, the commercial ties, the business people who are working together in both countries so that not only do our governments remain strong partners but our people are continually enriching both countries.”
President Obama and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in March, 2014.
In 2009, President Obama visited King Abdullah at his farm in Saudi Arabia, a trip which kicked off a broader tour of the Middle East and included President Obama’s now-famous speech at Cairo University that discussed America’s relationship with the region. After he was greeted at the airport, the two heads of state drove to King Abdullah’s farm outside of Riyadh in Jenadriyah. During his visit, President Obama noted that he “thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began and to seek His Majesty’s counsel and to discuss with him many of the issues that we confront here in the Middle East.”
In November 2008, King Abdullah visited the G-20 Economic Summit in Washington. Although President-elect Obama had not yet taken office at that time, the summit was just weeks after the worst of the global financial crisis was setting in.
