The U.S. and Saudi Arabia entered into a strategic agreement on Saturday that establishes a new joint commission to combat terrorist financing while deepening military ties between the two nations.
President Trump and Saudi King Salman signed the Saudi-U.S. Joint Strategic Vision Declaration as part of a state visit by the president to the Middle Eastern kingdom.
Under the agreement, the two countries plan to form a Strategic Joint Consultative Group “to chart the course of this strategic partnership.”
The new strategic alliance between the U.S. and the oil-rich kingdom will be based on three tracks:
- Countering “violent extremist messaging” from the region.
- Disrupting the financing of terrorism.
- And advancing defense cooperation.
A timetable for the group’s first meeting was not disclosed, except to say that it “will meet at least once a year, alternating between our two countries, and it will review areas of cooperation,” according to the declaration.
The joint declaration said the two countries’ fight is with “violent extremists” who threaten peace in the Middle East, but will find “a growing group of regional partners arrayed against them, confronting their aggression and sowing the seeds of peace.”
Another key piece of the strategic alliance will be to pull in other countries in the region to join the fight led by the U.S. and the Saudis.
“The United States of America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hope that responsible governments willing to commit to peace will build upon these efforts to realize these objectives,” the agreement said.
The two countries said they will be actively seeking to “expand engagement with other countries in the region over the coming years and to identify new areas of cooperation.”
It added that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have developed a “productive partnership” over the year that is built on trust, cooperation and shared interests. “We now stand together to thwart our common enemies, to strengthen the bonds between us, and to chart a path towards peace and prosperity for all,” read the joint declaration.
Trump also signed off on a $110 billion arms deal and private-sector agreements with the Saudis.
