Saudi Crown Prince MbS meets regional leaders to affirm ties

Saudi Crown Prince MbS meets regional leaders to affirm ties
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Jordan's King Abdullah and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad in Riyadh.
2 min read
09 March, 2021
Mohammad bin Salman met Jordan's King and Bahrain's Crown Prince [Getty]
Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Jordan's King Abdullah and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad in Riyadh on Monday in separate meetings.

The crown prince spoke to both about bilateral cooperation and "coordinating joint efforts" on Arab and Gulf issues, according to Saudi Arabia's official Saudi Press Agency.

His meeting with Prince Salman was also attended by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the kingdom's foreign minister, and Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan.

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat Prince Faisal was hosted by Qatar's ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani on Monday in Doha, in another key meeting between Riyadh and regional powers this week.

His visit came as a Qatari delegation arrived in Cairo to continue the path toward restoring full diplomatic relations between Egypt and the Gulf monarchy fractured by years of discord, local media reported.

Saudi efforts to encourage stronger ties with Arab states come as Riyadh faces tough criticism from US President Joe Biden for repression and the war in Yemen.

"Ever since President Joe Biden's victory in US elections, there has been apprehension in Riyadh that the change of administration would create new complications," Sabena Siddiqui, a foreign affairs journalist, wrote in an analysis for The New Arab.

She added that Riyadh became proactive in mending regional rifts when it became apparent that then-US President Donald Trump may lose the 2020 elections.

"Saudi Arabia became pro-active as soon as it felt that Trump would lose the election. Turning around its foreign policy completely, the Kingdom started by mending fences with Qatar."

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