Mon 09 October 2020:
Saudi Arabia’s king and its powerful crown prince Sunday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the US presidential election, state media said, a day after TV networks declared him the victor.
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent congratulatory messages to US president-elect Biden and vice-president-elect Kamala Harris, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
It added that the king stressed their two countries’ “close historical relations, which everyone seeks to strengthen and further develop in all fields”.
Top oil exporter Saudi was the last Gulf country to report congratulating Biden on his win over US President Donald Trump.
The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar had all congratulated the Democratic candidate on his success by late Saturday night.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia hosted Trump on his first official visit overseas. The president established very close ties, in particular with de facto ruler Prince Mohammed.
Trump’s warm ties with the Gulf Arab states contrast with those of his predecessor Barack Obama, whose deal-making with Iran appalled Tehran’s arch-rival Riyadh and its neighbours.
Trump also pushed back against anti-Saudi resolutions in Congress over its controversial involvement in the Yemen war, which has come at the cost of thousands of civilian lives, and the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi’s Istanbul consulate.
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