| | APRIL 20238IN FOCUSSAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN & THE US SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM DISCUSS BILATERAL TIESLindsey Graham, the senior American senator from South Carolina, met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. According to officials, they reviewed the long-standing goodwill between their nations and spoke about a variety of matters of concern to both. Republican Graham has held the position of senator since 2002. His visit was considered to be a continuation of the bilateral ties between the US and Saudi Arabia and the reciprocal trips throughout the years.Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi defence minister, Princess Reema bint Bandar, the country's ambassador to the US, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the foreign minister, and Musaed Al-Aiban, the state minister and national security adviser, were also present at the meeting. Graham was accompanied by Martina Strong, the US Charge d'Affaires, and his deputy Aaron Strickland.During his first trip to the Middle East after assuming office in January 2021, the US President Joe Biden made a stop in the Kingdom in July 2022. He visited King Salman during his tour, and the two leaders discussed the historical ties between their countries and how they could be strengthened to advance their shared interests in a range of areas.At Al-Salam Palace, Biden also met the crown prince, with whom he spoke about bilateral cooperation and approaches to overcoming issues on the national and international levels. As part of a prisoner exchange process between Russia and Ukraine in September 2022, the crown prince performed effective mediation sessions that resulted in the release of 10 inmates from other nations, including the US. The two American captives released by Russia were secure, Prince Faisal reassured the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a following phone call. Blinken expressed gratitude on behalf of his nation for the crown prince's efforts to broker the release of the detainees.Following a meeting of the Working Group on Iran at the GCC's Riyadh headquarters, the US and the GCC jointly issued a statement in February of this year. With their shared desire to support regional security and stability within the framework of the GCC-US Strategic Partnership, it underlined the historic collaboration between the US and the council members. THE CROWN PRINCE PERFORMED EFFECTIVE MEDIATION SESSIONS THAT RESULTED IN THE RELEASE OF 10 INMATES FROM OTHER NATIONS, INCLUDING THE US
< Page 7 | Page 9 >