AFP, Washington :
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman rounded off a weeks-long tour of the United States with a weekend in Texas, where he met on Saturday (April 7) with both former president Bushes.
George H.W. Bush, 93, tweeted a photo of the prince with his son, George W. Bush.
“A wonderful chance to celebrate the long-standing friendship between our two nations.”, George Bush Senior wrote, while the Saudi embassy in
Washington described the meeting as a “reminder of the strength and breadth of the long-standing Saudi-US partnership”. The prince – or MBS, as he is known – travelled with his plentiful entourage from the White House to Houston via Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, embarking on what one expert called a particularly well-planned public relations campaign.
The Saudi regime faced little criticism along the way – although Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed “concerns about human rights and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen”, his office told AFP.
But strengthening US-Saudi relations in the face of Iran was a priority for US President Donald Trump, who hailed the nations’ “great friendship” as he met with the 32-year-old prince at the Oval Office on March 20.
Since that meeting, the prince has been diligently pushing his “Saudi Vision 2030” – a plan for a Saudi economy less reliant on oil and eager to attract US investors tempted by potential diversification.
The latter part of his trip saw him meet with directors of Google, Facebook and Palantir – not to mention Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates and Richard Branson, with whom he talked space exploration. The Saudi prince also enjoyed a Hollywood dinner with Rupert Murdoch, where they were joined by studio bosses and actors including Morgan Freeman, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The meeting came ahead of the opening of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema – managed by American AMC Entertainment – in Riyadh on April 18.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman rounded off a weeks-long tour of the United States with a weekend in Texas, where he met on Saturday (April 7) with both former president Bushes.
George H.W. Bush, 93, tweeted a photo of the prince with his son, George W. Bush.
“A wonderful chance to celebrate the long-standing friendship between our two nations.”, George Bush Senior wrote, while the Saudi embassy in
Washington described the meeting as a “reminder of the strength and breadth of the long-standing Saudi-US partnership”. The prince – or MBS, as he is known – travelled with his plentiful entourage from the White House to Houston via Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, embarking on what one expert called a particularly well-planned public relations campaign.
The Saudi regime faced little criticism along the way – although Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed “concerns about human rights and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen”, his office told AFP.
But strengthening US-Saudi relations in the face of Iran was a priority for US President Donald Trump, who hailed the nations’ “great friendship” as he met with the 32-year-old prince at the Oval Office on March 20.
Since that meeting, the prince has been diligently pushing his “Saudi Vision 2030” – a plan for a Saudi economy less reliant on oil and eager to attract US investors tempted by potential diversification.
The latter part of his trip saw him meet with directors of Google, Facebook and Palantir – not to mention Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates and Richard Branson, with whom he talked space exploration. The Saudi prince also enjoyed a Hollywood dinner with Rupert Murdoch, where they were joined by studio bosses and actors including Morgan Freeman, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The meeting came ahead of the opening of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema – managed by American AMC Entertainment – in Riyadh on April 18.
