Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will hold wide-ranging talks, including on Iran, with United States President Barack Obama, who is due in Riyadh on Wednesday with his defense chief Ashton Carter.
Obama will also attend a Gulf Cooperation Council-U.S. summit to meet the leaders of the Gulf bloc on Thursday.
Obama’s talks with the Gulf leaders, including King Salman, will touch on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues including the fight against Daesh (ISIS, ISIL or Islamic State), Saudi-led peace efforts in Yemen, Iran and issues of regional stability, the Arab News daily wrote on Tuesday.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Westphal said Washington’s ties with Riyadh and our GCC partners are and will remain “a cornerstone of regional stability.”
He added: “For over 70 years, the US has maintained a core national security interest in the security and stability of the Middle East generally and the Gulf region specifically.”
He said Washington is committed to strengthening “our strategic partnership with GCC member states.”
