WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman met on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a number of other top officials during his official visit to Washington. In a series of tweets, Prince Khalid said that he discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the Middle East in his meeting with the US secretary of state. "At the @StateDept I had a great meeting with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken to discuss the strategic Saudi-US partnership, review the latest developments in the region, and explore ways to strengthen Saudi-US ties." The Saudi deputy defense minister also met with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. "I also met with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs @UnderSecStateP to review the coordination between our two countries and discuss opportunities for cooperation over a wide range of issues," Prince Khalid tweeted. Meanwhile, the US Department of State in a statement said that Prince Khalid's meeting with Nuland and Counselor Derek Chollet focused on regional security, support for Saudi Arabia to defend itself from cross-border attacks, and improving human rights. "Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined the group for part of the meeting to discuss efforts to achieve a comprehensive, nationwide ceasefire and transition to a political process in Yemen, the need for economic reform and humanitarian relief for the Lebanese people, and other key bilateral issues, including human rights," the statement added. Earlier in the day, Prince Khalid Bin Salman met with US National Security Council's coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa Brett McGurk and US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. On Tuesday, he held extensive talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl. During the talks, they reviewed the Saudi-US partnership and aspects of strategic cooperation in the military and defense fields between the two countries.
