Riyadh (UNA/SPA) - At the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the joint presidency of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and President Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, the Gulf-American Summit was held in Riyadh today.
Before the summit began, commemorative photos were taken.
After that, the summit proceedings began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.
Then, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, delivered a speech during the opening of the summit. The text of the speech is as follows:
President Donald Trump, President of the United States of America
Their Majesties and Highnesses, Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Peace, mercy and blessings of God,
Today, on behalf of His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, we are pleased to welcome you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and convey to you his greetings and wishes for the success of this summit.
Our meeting today with President Donald Trump is an extension of the historic relationship and strategic partnership between our countries and the United States of America, which has grown and developed over the past decades to become a model of joint cooperation. This summit reflects our commitment to working together to strengthen our relations and expand and develop our strategic partnerships to meet the aspirations of our countries and peoples.
The Gulf-US summit, held with His Excellency President Donald Trump in 2017, emphasized the importance of strengthening the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, protecting their interests, combating terrorism and eliminating its organizations, enhancing the military, security, and defense capabilities of the GCC states, confronting various threats, and confronting regional and international challenges with a shared vision to achieve regional and international security and stability.
Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies
The GCC states share the United States' belief in the importance of economic partnership and trade cooperation. The United States is a major trade and investment partner for our countries, with trade between the GCC states and the United States reaching nearly $2024 billion in 120. We look forward to continuing to work with the United States to exchange trade, strengthen economic relations, and open new horizons to benefit from opportunities and cooperate in all fields to achieve our common interests.
Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies
The future we aspire to through achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires a stable and secure environment. We are aware of the magnitude of the challenges facing our region, and we seek, with you, Mr. President, and in cooperation with our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, to de-escalate the situation in the region, end the war in Gaza, and find a permanent and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions, thus achieving security and peace for the peoples of the region. We also affirm our support for everything that would end crises and end conflict through peaceful means.
From this perspective, the Kingdom continues to encourage dialogue between the Yemeni parties and to reach a comprehensive political solution in Yemen. We will continue our efforts to end the crisis in Sudan through the Jeddah Forum, which enjoys Saudi-American sponsorship, leading to a complete ceasefire in Sudan. We emphasize the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and the need to support the efforts made by the Syrian government to achieve security and stability.
In this regard, we would like to commend the decision taken yesterday by His Excellency President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic, which will alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people and open a new page toward growth and prosperity.
We renew our support, led by His Excellency the Lebanese President and the Lebanese government, for reforming institutions, restricting the possession of weapons to the state, and preserving Lebanon's sovereignty and integrity.
We welcome the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India, and hope that it will help contain the escalation and restore calm between the two countries.
Regarding the Ukrainian crisis, we affirm the Kingdom's readiness to continue its efforts to reach a political solution to end the Ukrainian crisis. We welcome the efforts of His Excellency President Donald Trump and his endeavors to end this crisis, to which His Excellency attaches great importance.
Our summit today affirms our commitment to continued cooperation and coordination on regional and international issues, out of our belief in the importance of this in establishing support, security, and stability in the region and the world.
In conclusion, we look forward to this summit contributing to achieving its shared goals, thereby ensuring the interests of growth, prosperity, and progress for our peoples.
(is over)
