US-Saudi investment summit set for Washington during MBS visit

Saudi Arabia is expected to host a US-Saudi investment summit in Washington on 19 November during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit, according to a source familiar with the planning.

The crown prince will be in Washington to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on November 18, a White House official said last week.

The summit will be held on the sidelines of bin Salman's visit and will not be a part of his official schedule, the source said, declining to be identified because the event is not yet public.

Trump and Bin Salman may drop in, but their participation was not currently part of the programme, the source added.

News of the summit was first reported by CBS News, which, citing an invitation, reported that the event would be held at the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts and co-hosted by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia and the US-Saudi Business Council.

The crown prince will visit Washington as Trump pushes Saudi Arabia to join the list of nations that have joined the Abraham Accords normalising relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for US arms, and Trump and bin Salman may also discuss a US-Saudi defence agreement.

The Financial Times reported last month that there were hopes the two countries could sign such an agreement during bin Salman's visit.