Saudi Defense Minister to Visit the United States in Two Weeks

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia, who at thirty years old is the youngest defense minister in the world, is set to travel to the United States in two weeks. During this visit, he is expected to meet with the highest-ranking officials in the country, possibly including Barack Obama, the President. Informed sources, who requested anonymity, told Reuters on Friday that this trip comes amid increasing tensions between the two long-time allies. The Saudi Defense Minister also plans to meet with Ashton Carter, his American counterpart, and other senior military and defense officials in the U.S., likely to discuss issues related to Yemen. Last year, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to attack Yemen and confront the Houthi Shiites, who are supported by Iran. Reuters notes that discussions between Saudi and American defense officials will likely also revolve around issues concerning Russia. Riyadh seeks the complete ousting of Bashar al-Assad from power and is providing military support to his opponents in Syria. One informed source indicated that the Crown Prince's visit to the U.S. is scheduled for June 15 to 17. Aside from Washington, the Saudi Crown Prince will also travel to New York and Los Angeles to discuss with the heads of several business companies. However, the White House has informed Reuters that no plans have yet been communicated to them. U.S.-Saudi relations cooled during Barack Obama's presidency compared to earlier times, with Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf countries blaming Obama for withdrawing from the region and allowing Iran's increased presence. The nuclear agreement between Iran and the West was another factor that exacerbated U.S. relations with Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia's involvement in Yemen is also a concern for the U.S. Last week, the United Nations added Saudi Arabia to its blacklist of countries violating children's rights during wartime. Another issue is a U.S. congressional report, prepared in 2002, regarding the events of September 11. This report, which discusses Saudi Arabia's role in the tragedy over 28 pages, has been requested by some representatives to be made available to the families of the victims so they can prosecute the perpetrators in court and seek compensation. Following the news of this report, Saudi Arabia announced that if such an event occurs, it would withdraw its billions in assets from the U.S. to avoid confiscation, which would destabilize the global economy. Although Barack Obama stated he would veto this proposal, on May 17, the U.S. Senate voted for it, allowing victims' families to bring Saudi Arabia to trial. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is striving to end the kingdom's economic dependence on oil. He has full authority from his father and aims to free the country's economy from oil dependency by 2030 and give more value to the private sector. Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi Crown Princes, previously met with Barack Obama at the White House last spring, a meeting that was renewed during Mr. Obama's visit to Riyadh.