U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement today expressing condolences for HRH Prince Turki al-Faisal.
“Teresa and I join with my colleagues, past and present, across the United States government in expressing our deep sadness at the passing of Prince Saud Al Faisal, who served as Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia for more than forty years. We join his many friends and admirers around the world in expressing our condolences to the Prince’s family and friends, to King Salman and to the people of the Kingdom.
Secretary of State John Kerry and HRH Prince Saud al-Faisal.
“On numerous occasions as a U.S. Senator and as Secretary of State, I had the opportunity to meet with Prince Saud in Riyadh and Washington and many points in between. He was a man of vast experience, personal warmth, great dignity, and keen insights who served his country loyally and well. The longevity of his term in office – he served with thirteen U.S. Secretaries of State — is a sign of the universal respect with which he was viewed. I personally admired him greatly, valued his friendship, and appreciated his wise counsel. His legacy as a statesman and diplomat will not be forgotten.”
HRH Prince Saud al-Faisal, with Secretary of State John Kerry and H.E. Adel al-Jubeir, the new Saudi Foreign Minister.
When Foreign Minister Al-Faisal left his post earlier in 2015, Secretary Kerry wrote another statement expressing his thanks for Prince Saud’s service as a diplomat and called him “not just been the planet’s longest-serving Foreign Minister but also among the wisest.”
Here’s that statement, issued April 29th:
“During four decades at the highest levels of international diplomacy, Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal helped guide Saudi Arabia through an ever-more-complicated world. I will continue to seek his counsel and value his friendship, forged over many hours spent discussing the challenges our nations face.
President Barack Obama speaks with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia following a meeting with Arab coalition leaders in the fight against the terrorist group ISIL in Iraq and Syria, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, N.Y., Sept. 23, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
“Prince Saud has not just been the planet’s longest-serving Foreign Minister but also among the wisest. He worked with 12 of my predecessors as U.S. Secretaries of State, and was universally admired.
“While Prince Saud will be greatly missed, I look forward to continuing to work closely with his successor, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir. I have known Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir for a long time — in fact, we met when he was a young diplomat, assigned to help shepherd me around Riyadh in the 1980s.
“We have, of course, come to know each other far better since then, particularly during his exemplary service as the Kingdom’s Ambassador in Washington. A skilled diplomat and trusted interlocutor for many American officials, his promotion reaffirms the strong and historic bond between Saudi Arabia and the United States at a critical time. I wish him the best of luck in this new and important endeavor.”
