Iran Press/Asia: Donald Trump said on Saturday he appreciated Saudi Arabia’s purchase of US military equipment, calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a “friend of mine” who had worked to open up the country with economic and social reforms.
“It’s an honor to be with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine - a man who has really done things in the last five years in terms of opening up Saudi Arabia,” Trump said ahead of a bilateral meeting with the crown prince, known as MbS, in Osaka, Japan, Reuters reported.
“I think especially what you’ve done for women and seeing what’s happening - it’s like a revolution in a very positive way,” he added on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit.
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Saudis are good ally, Take their money: Trump
During an interview with NBC “Meet The Press,” on Sunday Trump said his only interests in the Middle East except Israel, is protecting Saudi Arabia, and added: “That’s all I care about…, look Saudi Arabia is buying $400 billion worth of things for us. That’s a very good thing.”
Trump declined to respond to reporters’ questions on whether he would address the death last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of MbS. The CIA has determined the prince ordered his killing, but Saudi officials have denied any involvement. 213/
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