US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope for expanding cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the economic and defense sectors. This was stated in a statement by the head of the press service of the State Department Tammy Bruce.
As noted in the document, on February 17, Rubio met in Riyadh with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the kingdom Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
“The Secretary expressed hope for expanded economic and defense cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia and expressed his commitment to further strengthening the bilateral partnership“, the statement said.
“The Secretary of State and the Crown Prince reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring that Hamas releases all hostages, including American citizens“, the document said. It also states that Rubio "underlined the importance of the Gaza agreement, which contributes to regional security".
The parties "discussed ways to promote common interests in Syria, Lebanon and the entire region, including security in the Red Sea and freedom of navigation".