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LAST UPDATE | 13 May
THE FIRST DAY of the US President’s four-day Middle East tour has been kicked off with Donald Trump signing a nearly $142bn (€127bn) arms deal with Saudi Arabia as part of a major trade deal between the countries.
Trump is in Riyadh today for the first stop on a tour of oil-rich Gulf monarchies such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. He was welcomed by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi fighter jets escorted Air Force One as Trump landed in Riyadh, the first stop on a tour of oil-rich Gulf monarchies that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement, the White House said the deal was “underscoring our commitment to strengthening our defence and security partnership”. The whopping $600bn (€537bn) investment deal includes agreements on tech, AI, infrastructure and healthcare.
Speaking during the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, Trump thanked the Saudi Royal family and said that the relationship between the two countries has been a “bedrock of security and prosperity”.
“Today we reaffirm our important bond, and we take the next steps to make our relationship closer, stronger and more powerful than ever before,” Trump said. “And, by the way, it will remain that way.”
The US President revelled in what he sees as his domestic accomplishments – quoting similar statistics that he has listed at many rallies in the past – before speaking to the importance of the relationship between his country and Saudi Arabia.
US business leaders, including the world’s richest person and Trump’s friend and adviser Elon Musk, and members of the Saudi royal family attended the President’s address this afternoon, where he ranted about the ‘beauty’ of Saudi Arabia and its infrastructure.
“Riyadh is not only becoming the seat of government, but also a major business, cultural and high-tech capital of the entire world,” he said, before referencing its upcoming World Cup event and pointing to FIFA President Gianna Infantino in the crowd.
Under the investment deal, US companies Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber have committed to investing $80 billion (€71.6bn) in technology infrastructure in both countries.
Data centre giant DataVolt, from Saudi Arabia, is also included in the €71.6bn pledge and has separately committed to moving forward with a $20bn (€18bn) investment strategy for ‘AI’ data centres in the US.
Separately, rich Saudi oil and gas companies have struck deals with the US, totalling $14.2bn (€12.7bn), while American aeroplane leasing deals totalled $4.8bn (€4.3bn).
Trump reminisced with the 39-year-old crown prince over their first meeting, saying he was “so impressed with this young guy who was very wise beyond his years”.
With cameras rolling, a lengthy procession of Saudi royalty and business figures waited their turn to shake hands with Trump and the crown prince.
The US leader will head later in the week to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, fellow oil-rich Arab monarchies with long-standing ties to the United States — and to Trump.
Trump’s close relationship with the Saudis contrasts with a more hesitant initial approach by former president Joe Biden, who had vowed to punish the crown prince after US intelligence found that he ordered the murder of Saudi dissident and US resident Jamal Khashoggi.
Since Khashoggi’s gruesome killing, Saudi Arabia has worked aggressively to change its image, from easing restrictions on women to diversifying from oil to new areas such as artificial intelligence.
His decision to bypass traditional Western allies to travel first to the Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role — along with his own business relations in the region.
Eight years ago, Trump also chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president – when he memorably posed with a glowing orb and participated in a sword dance.
His decision to once again bypass traditional Western allies to travel to the oil-rich Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role – along with his own business relations in the region.
Controversy is also swirling over the president’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family for use as Air Force One. Late Sunday, Trump went on the offensive amid a wave of criticism, saying the plane was a temporary “gift”.
He later called the deal “a very public and transparent transaction”, and on Monday said before leaving Washington for his trip: “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer.”
Includes reporting by AFP
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