Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ‘willing to expand $600 billion investment’ with Trump admin for next 4 years

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has expressed interest in expanding Saudi investments and trade with the US by $600 billion, or even more, in the coming four years, reported Bloomberg citing the state-run news agency SPA.

The crown prince spoke to US President Donald Trump in a congratulatory phone call on Wednesday while sharing his interest in investments.

Bin Salman said the kingdom is looking forward to more partnership and investment opportunities under the new US administration and anticipated reforms, which could achieve “unprecedented economic prosperity.”

However, further details on the phone call have not emerged, the report added.

Both the Saudi Crown Prince and the US President had good relations during the first tenure since Trump’s first tenure. They spoke about the need for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US in efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East and to fight terrorism.

The conversation between the US President and Crown Prince happens at a volatile time in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia's opponent, Iran, has been weakened by defeats by its proxy militias, Hamas and Hezbollah, through Israel, the report said. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, a major ally has been overthrown and forced into exile. A ceasefire came into effect in Gaza early this week on Sunday, January 19, temporarily halting the war between Israel and Hamas.

It is expected that the call by the Crown Prince will result in a visit to Saudi Arabia by US President Donald Trump.

In 2017, Trump made his first international trip as President to Saudi Arabia. Trump earlier said he would be happy to visit Saudi Arabia again if the country wanted to buy another $450 billion or $500 billion worth of US goods, the report stated. Saudi Arabia's $600 billion investment will definitely surpass Trump's target of $450 billion to $500 billion, so a visit by the US President is quite likely.