From Amirudin Ahmad
RIYADH, May 13 (Bernama) -- Prominent business leaders from the United States (US) and Saudi Arabia gathered here Tuesday for the high-profile Saudi-US Investment Forum, aimed at deepening economic ties and unlocking new avenues of cooperation between the two countries.
The forum is being held as part of US President Donald Trump’s first visit to the Middle East since his historic return to the White House for a second term in January, signalling US’s renewed emphasis on strategic and economic partnerships in the region.
The forum "comes at a historic moment in which the shared commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US is renewed, for the benefit of both countries and the entire world," Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said in his speech during the opening ceremony held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre.
He highlighted that business opportunities in the Kingdom have grown significantly due to Saudi Vision 2030, which has created numerous opportunities and yielded strong investment returns.
Al-Falih also announced that Saudi Arabia will inject new investments worth US$600 billion in the US in the coming four years.
Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan noted that the longstanding Saudi-US relationship, which spans over 92 years, "gets stronger and stronger every year”.
The event has drawn some of the most influential figures in American business, including tech entrepreneur and Trump adviser Elon Musk, according to US media.
Other top American business leaders reported to be attending include Boeing's Kelly Ortberg, Northrop Grumman's Kathy Warden, Coca-Cola's James Quincey, Alcoa's William Oplinger, LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, and Amazon's Andy Jassy.
Trump arrived in Riyadh early Tuesday morning to begin his four-day tour of the Middle East, which also includes stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The visit, mirroring his maiden international tour in 2017 that also began in Saudi Arabia, is widely seen as part of his broader diplomatic and economic engagement strategy in the Gulf.
The US President is also scheduled to attend a summit with Gulf leaders on May 14, before continuing his visit to Doha, Qatar, later in the day, and to Abu Dhabi, UAE, on May 15.
-- BERNAMA
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