US President Donald Trump received at the White House on Friday newly appointed Saudi ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to approve his credentials as an official diplomat to Washington. Prince Khaled is the 10th Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the US since 1945.
According to the London-based Saudi newspaper Asharq Alawsat, US political analysts believe that the presence of a “younger” ambassador in Washington is evidence of Saudi Arabia’s desire to strengthen its relationship with the new administration.
“I am honored and excited to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America. Close friends and long-time allies, now more than ever, our two countries are aligned in shared interests and common purpose,” said the ambassador, according to Asharq Alawsat.
“We are expanding trade and investment, increasing cultural exchanges, and fighting terrorism side by side. My first priority is to build on the outcomes of the Riyadh Summit to foster closer cooperation on our collective security and to expand our economic partnership. I also want to reintroduce Saudi Arabia to the United States. Under our new leadership, Saudi Arabia is continuing to change and modernize. I want to engage Americans in new ways to introduce and describe the important economic and social reforms now underway.”
