During King Salman’s visit to Washington last week – his first official state visit anywhere – the King had back-to-back meetings with President Obama at the White House and met with Saudi military personnel, Saudi students, former U.S. presidents, former Aramco employees and the U.S.-Saudi business community in a schedule that provided a boost to U.S.-Saudi relations.
President Barack Obama greets Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.
The King was accompanied by hundreds of key business leaders, senior ministers and royals, including Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Minister of Defense. H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Al Assaf, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance, H.E. Dr. Tawfig Al Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Khalid Al Falih, Minister of Health, and H.E. Abdullatif al-Othman, Governor and Chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA).
“This is obviously a challenging time in world affairs, particularly in the Middle East,” President Barack Obama said in a joint press conference with King Salman, held at the White House. “We expect this to be a substantive conversation across a wide range of issues” facing U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
King Salman meets with Saudi students in Washington.
King Salman meets with former Aramco employees in Washington.
The King reads a speech to attendees of a dinner in his honor on Friday night.
King Salman, who is 79, made the most of his first visit to Washington since becoming king and the first visit since the late King Abdullah visited for a working meeting in 2010. Following his second meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden, a working lunch, King Salman met with active military servicemen in Washington, then met with former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The King also met directly with former Aramco employees now residing in the United States, and even met directly with a handful of Saudi students studying in the United States on scholarship.
King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir meet with President Clinton.
The King then delivered remarks at a U.S.-Saudi business event hosted by SAGIA, the Council of Saudi Chambers and the U.S.-Saudi Business Council at the Ritz Carlton in Washington.
In his wake, the King left Washington with a new Ambassador, Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki, who will succeed Adel Al-Jubeir, now promoted to Foreign Minister. Historically, the Ambassador to the United States has been a powerful position, one close to the King and key to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and its strongest western ally.
