Washington (USA) – He rolled out the red carpet for him, had a squadron of fighter jets fly in to greet him, called him a “good friend” and “phenomenal” – but that wasn’t enough to honor the controversial Saudi crown prince. As “dessert” at an elegant dinner at the White House, he gave his guests a clear commitment to closer cooperation.
“I am pleased to announce tonight that we are raising our military cooperation to a higher level by officially classifying Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally,” the 79-year-old said during a dinner in the East Room of the White House. So far only 19 countries have this status.
The Crown Prince, US President and US First Lady (from left) go out to dinner on Tuesday evening
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Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington was controversial. Nevertheless, Trump emphasized: He is counting on good relations with Saudi Arabia. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (59) about seven years ago – the prince had nothing to do with it, Trump downplayed the killing of the regime critic.
Responding to journalists’ questions about Khashoggi, he said at the White House: “The man you’re talking about is very controversial. Many people don’t like this man. Whether you like him or not, a lot of things happened. But he (crown prince, editor) doesn’t know anything about it. We can leave it at that.”
This is contradictory Donald Trump Among other things, the US secret service report named the crown prince as the mastermind behind the murder on October 2 2018 at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia denies the accusations. Khashoggi’s crimes sparked global outrage and worsened Saudi Arabia’s relations with Western countries, including the United States United States of Americasignificantly.
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Trump’s fighter jet turnaround
Additionally, according to the White House, the US President approved the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia – changes of course. This is despite concerns from Israel, which is currently the only country in the Middle East permitted to purchase these high-tech aircraft.
▶︎ Trump is also trying to get Saudi Arabia to join the so-called Abraham Accords – a series of agreements to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab countries. The Crown Prince said at the White House: “We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we also want to make sure that we open a clear path to a two-state solution (the foundation of a Palestinian state, ed.).”
Mohammed bin Salman also announced that his country wants to invest one trillion dollars in the United States, instead of the $600 billion previously promised. “Saudi Arabia believes in America’s future,” he told Trump.
