US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan are planning separate trips to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks, signaling the Biden administration's readiness to ease tensions with the Middle Eastern country, Bloomberg reported on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan are planning separate trips to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks, signaling the Biden administration's readiness to ease tensions with the Middle Eastern country, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Sullivan will travel first, meeting with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and India next week in the kingdom before meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the report, citing people familiar with the matter.
Sullivan's meeting will be the first between the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and India, and discussions are set to cover issues such as diversifying supply chains and investments in strategic infrastructure projects, including ports, rail, and minerals, said the report.
Blinken will follow Sullivan's visit later in June when he will visit Saudi Arabia for a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (banned in Russia), the report added.
The two trips, happening in such close proximity, exemplify the administration's determination to get past defining tensions between Riyadh and Washington, the report said.�
