https://arab.news/2jdrn
The visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington this week is shaping up to be an important turning point in Saudi-US relations. Coming at a crucial crossroads for the region, it promises to address important security and political issues.
The meeting is the two leaders’ second in six months. President Donald Trump made his trip to Riyadh in May his first official foreign visit of his second term, as he did in the first when he made Riyadh the first stop and met with Saudi, Gulf Cooperation Council, and other Arab and Islamic leaders.
There was a historic breakthrough during the May meeting. Through Saudi Arabia’s mediation, Trump met Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Syria’s new president, and announced the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, beginning a process of restoring the long-ruptured relations between the two countries, starting with reopening the US Embassy in Damascus the same month. The reconciliation culminated in Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House last week, the first by a Syrian president, and the announcement that Syria had become the 90th member of the US-led Global Coalition Against Daesh. Getting Washington and Damascus on speaking terms again was no small feat, given Israel’s strong opposition to that rapprochement.
