US President Donald Trump may visit Saudi Arabia during a trip to Europe in May in what will be his first overseas journey since becoming president, Reuters reported citing a senior administration official who preferred to remain unnamed.
Such a trip is "being discussed," the official is said to have added.
Defense Secretary James Mattis, who was in Riyadh on Wednesday meeting with senior Saudi Arabian officials, said he hoped his trip could potentially open the door for a Trump to visit to the kingdom, according to an AFP report.
Trump is planning to attend a NATO summit in Brussels on May 25 and travel to Sicily for a G7 summit slated for May 26-28.
Meanwhile, Mattis said the United States wants to see a strong Saudi Arabia, and touched upon on the kingdom’s leading role in regional security as well as on countering Iranian influence and negotiating peace in Yemen.
“It’s very clear that Saudi Arabia is stepping up to its regional leadership role … at a key time in terms of trying to restore stability in this key region in the world,” he said in statements carried by the Department of Defense’s website.
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