By Abdel-Jabbar Abu Ras
ISTANBUL (AA) - US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived Tuesday, in Saudi Arabia for a three-day visit, according to the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel.
Blinken is “ on a mission to steady Washington’s relationship with Riyadh after years of deepening disagreements on issues ranging from Iran and regional security to oil prices,” it said.
He is expected to “meet with top Saudi officials, including the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during his time in Riyadh, the capital, and the coastal city of Jeddah.”
The top US diplomat’s visit comes days after Riyadh pledged to further cut oil production.
The visit coincides with Tehran's official reopening of its embassy Tuesday in Riyadh after seven years of estrangement.
The US State Department said Friday that Blinken is scheduled Wednesday to attend a ministerial meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) “to discuss growing cooperation with our GCC partners to promote security, stability, de-escalation, regional integration, and economic opportunities across the Middle East.”
Blinken and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will co-host another ministerial meeting Thursday in the Saudi capital on the international coalition to defeat the Daesh/ISIS terror organization, it added.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi