Saudi Arabia gears up for summit-packed weekend

By Ahmed al-Masry

ANKARA (AA) - Leaders and representatives of 55 Arab and Muslim countries are expected to take part in a string of summits in Riyadh on Saturday and Sunday during a scheduled visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Saudi Arabia will host a total of four different summits during Trump’s visit, three of which will be attended by the U.S. president.

A first summit on Saturday will see Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz meet with Trump; the second will include Trump and Arab Gulf leaders; and a third will see the U.S. president sit down with various Arab and Muslim leaders.

A fourth summit -- which Trump will not attend -- will will be a consultative meeting between members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

Sunday’s Arab Islamic American Summit will tackle means of fighting terrorism and extremism; improving living standards in the Muslim world; and strengthening the economies of participant countries.

On the same day, a separate event is being organized by the Saudi-based World Center for the Fight against Radical Thought, which is devoted to combating extremist ideas by promoting tolerance and dialogue.

Sunday will also see the U.S. president, along with Jordan's King Abdullah II, take part in a meeting of Twitter users who will discuss means of fighting extremism in the digital age.

This meeting will also be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

King Salman has voiced hope that this weekend’s summits would serve to strengthen relations between participant states “with a view to promoting security, stability and peace in the region”.

"This historic summit,” he said, “will establish new partnerships against extremism and promote the twin values ​​of tolerance and coexistence.”

Trump's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia will be his first overseas trip since taking office on Jan. 20.