Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman left Saudi Arabia on Monday, heading to the United States for a visit scheduled to include talks with US President Donald Trump, the Royal Court said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.
It will be the first meeting between the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is spearheading a Saudi economic reform plan, and the US president, since Trump came in office in January. They will discuss reinforcing bilateral relations and review regional issues of mutual interest.
The working visit would start on Thursday but there are no further details about it.
King Salman, ruler of the world’s top oil exporter, is currently in Japan, part of a month-long Asia tour to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi crude, and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Saudi Aramco.
Trump had a phone conversation with Salman, after he took office in January, agreeing to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, according to a White House statement.
Before his departure for the United States, Prince Mohammed met with Citigroup’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Corbat in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss investment opportunities in the kingdom and globally, SPA reported.
