RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Lindsey Graham, the senior US senator from South Carolina, in Jeddah on Tuesday. During their meeting they reviewed the long-standing friendly relationship between their countries and discussed a number of issues of common concern, officials said.
Graham, a member of the Republican party, has served as a senator since 2002. His visit was said to reflect a continuation of Saudi-US bilateral ties and reciprocal visits through the years.
Also present at the meeting were Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi minister of defense; Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the US; Prince Faisal bin Farhan, minister of foreign affairs; and Musaed Al-Aiban, minister of state, cabinet member, and national security adviser.
Graham was accompanied by his assistant, Aaron Strickland, and US Charge d’Affaires Martina Strong.
In July 2022, US President Joe Biden visited the Kingdom during his first Middle East tour after taking office in January 2021. During his visit, he met King Salman and the two leaders reviewed the historical relations between their nations and ways in which they might be strengthened to serve mutual interests in a variety of fields.
Biden also met the crown prince at Al-Salam Palace, where they discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation and ways to confront regional and international challenges.
In September 2022, the crown prince held successful mediation sessions that led to the release of 10 prisoners from several countries, including the US, as a part of a prisoner-exchange process between Russia and Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken subsequently had a telephone conversation with Prince Faisal, who assured the US official that two American prisoners released by Russia were safe. Blinken expressed his country’s appreciation for the efforts made by the crown prince to mediate the release of the prisoners.
In February this year, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the US released a joint statement after a meeting of the Working Group on Iran at the council’s headquarters in Riyadh. It highlighted longstanding partnership between the US and the members of the council through their shared determination to contribute to regional security and stability under the framework of the GCC-US Strategic Partnership.
