The 2017 Riyadh summit (Arabic: قمة الرياض 2017) was a series of three summits held on 20–21 May 2017 on the occasion of the visit of United States President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, his first trip overseas. The summit included one bilateral meeting, between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and two multilateral meetings, one between the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the other with Arab and Muslim countries.[1] Leaders and representatives of 54 Arab and Muslim countries, all members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United States took part.[2] Iran and Turkey boycotted the summit, and Syria was not invited.
Riyadh Summit 2017 | |
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![]() King Salman, Presidents Trump and el-Sisi inaugurate the Global Center for Combating Extremism by touching an illuminated globe of the Earth. | |
Host country | Saudi-Arabien |
Date | May 20, 2017 | – May 21, 2017
Motto | Together, We Prevail |
Venue(s) | The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh King Abdulaziz International Conference Center |
Cities | ![]() |
Participants | See below |
Chair | King Salman of Saudi Arabia |
Website | riyadhsummit2017 |
United States–Saudi Arabia summit
editPresident Trump made his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia arriving at King Khalid International Airport on May 20, where he met with King Salman.[3][4][5] Trump then traveled to the Murabba Palace, where the King awarded him the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud.[6] Trump later visited the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.[7] In the evening, Trump and the U.S. delegation took part in the traditional ardah sword dance.
Trade agreement and arms deal
editOn May 20, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a US$350 billion arms deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[8][9] The arms deal was the largest in world history.[10][8][11] The transaction included tanks, combat ships missile defence systems, as well as radar, communications and cybersecurity technology. The transfer was widely seen as a counterbalance against the influence of Iran in the region.[12][13] The arms transfer was described by news outlets as a "significant" and "historic" expansion of United States relations with Saudi Arabia.[14][15][16][17][18]
United States – Gulf Cooperation Council Summit
editArab Islamic American Summit
editKing Salman and President Trump gave keynote addresses at the Arab Islamic American Summit. Trump called for Muslim leaders to "drive out" terrorism from their countries, and condemned Hamas and the Iranian government for their support of the government of Bashar al-Assad. Also speaking were President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait, King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, and Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia.
At the close of the summit the leaders inaugurated the new Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh, intended as a centre of excellence for fighting violent extremism which is conducive to terrorism, involving a number of international counter-extremism experts.[19] To officially open the center King Salman, President Trump, and President el-Sisi placed their hands on a glowing orb in the shape of a globe, which was cause for mirth among the international media.[20]
Countries attending
edit- Afghanistan: President Ashraf Ghani
- Albanien: Albanian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sami Shiba
- Algerien: President of the Council of the Nation Abdelkader Bensalah,[21]
- Aserbaidschan: President Ilham Aliyev
- Bahrain: King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
- Bangladesch: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
- Benin: President Patrice Talon
- Brunei: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
- Burkina Faso: President Roch Marc Kabore[22]
- Kamerun: Minister of Foreign Affairs Lejeune Mbella Mbella
- Tschad: President Idriss Déby
- Komoren: President Azali Assoumani
- Dschibuti: President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
- Ägypten: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
- Gabun: President Ali Bongo Ondimba
- The Gambia: President Adama Barrow[23]
- Guinea: President Alpha Condé
- Guinea-Bissau: President José Mário Vaz
- Guyana: President David A. Granger
- Indonesien: President Joko Widodo
- Iraq: President Fuad Masum[24]
- Ivory Coast: President Alassane Ouattara
- Jordanien: King Abdullah II
- Kasachstan: President Nursultan Nazarbayev
- Kuwait: Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
- Kirgisistan: First Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev
- Libanon: Prime Minister Saad Hariri
- Libyen: Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj
- Malaysia: Prime Minister Najib Razak
- Malediven: President Abdulla Yameen
- Mali: President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
- Mauretanien: President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
- Marokko: Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita[25]
- Mosambik: Minister of Foreign Affairs José Condungua Pacheco
- Niger: President Mahamadou Issoufou
- Nigeria: Minister of Defence Mansur Dan Ali
- Oman: Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said[26]
- Pakistan: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
- Katar: Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani
- State of Palestine: President Mahmoud Abbas
- Senegal: President Macky Sall
- Sierra Leone: President Ernest Bai Koroma
- Somalia: President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
- Sudan: Minister of State Taha al-Hussein[27]
- Surinam: Minister of Foreign Affairs Yldiz Pollack-Beighle
- Tadschikistan: President Emomali Rahmon[22]
- Togo: President Faure Gnassingbé
- Tunesien: President Beji Caid Essebsi
- Türkei: Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu
- Turkmenistan: Minister of Foreign Affairs Raşit Meredow
- Uganda: State Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs Henry Oryem Okello
- Usbekistan: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev[28]
- Jemen: President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi
- Vereinigte Arabische Emirate: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- Vereinigte Staaten: President Donald Trump
Cancelled
edit- Marokko: King Mohammed VI was scheduled to attend but cancelled his plans a week prior to the summit for unspecified reasons.[29]
- Sudan: President Omar al-Bashir declined to attend after officials at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh registered their objections to his planned attendance. President al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes.[27]
Aftermath
editEmboldened by Trump's criticism of Iran, many Arab countries decided to take action against their perceived enemies. Bahrain began cracking down on its Shi'ite majority, killing 5 and arresting 286 people. Bahrain also shut down an independent newspaper and outlawed country's last opposition group.[30]
On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, Egypt and Bahrain all announced they were cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar.[30] Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted, "What is happening is the preliminary result of the sword dance," referring to Trump's conduct at the Summit.[31][32]
Popular culture
editAn image of King Salman, U.S. President Trump, and Egyptian President el-Sisi touching an illuminated globe (see above) sparked a brief commotion on the Internet, particularly the social media website Twitter. Users dubbed the globe "the Orb" and made reference to various popular culture objects, such as the Palantír from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series and "The Orb of Peace" from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[33][34] The Atlantic's James Parker later wrote that "Every presidency has iconic photographs. But there’s nothing else like this one."[35]
Noticing that Americans wanted to have their picture taken with the orb, the Saudi government gave it to the US embassy as a gift. The orb was initially put on display there, but ultimately put into storage.[36]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Riyadh Summit 2017". Riyadh Summit 2017. Government of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ "Riyadh summit discusses ways of rooting out terrorism". Al Jazeera. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ "Raw: President Trump Arrives in Saudi Arabia". YouTube. Associated Press. May 20, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday. It is the president's first foreign visit since his inauguration. (May 20)
- ^ Rucker, Philip; DeYoung, Karen (May 20, 2017). "Trump gets elaborate welcome in Saudi Arabia as he embarks on first foreign trip". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017.
President Trump arrived here Saturday for his debut on the world stage [...] After Air Force One touched down in Riyadh shortly before 10 a.m. local time [...] Chatting through an interpreter, the two men sat for a cup of coffee inside the ornate V.I.P. reception terminal at King Khalid International Airport. Salman rode with Trump in the president's armored Cadillac for the drive into the city.
- ^ Baker, Peter (May 4, 2017). "Trump to Visit Saudi Arabia and Israel in First Foreign Trip". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "The Latest: Trump to announce Saudi arms deal". The Palm Beach Post. May 20, 2017. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017.
The king placed the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud around Trump's neck at a ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh.
- ^ "Raw: Trump Visits National Museum in Riyadh". YouTube. Associated Press. May 20, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
- ^ a b "Trump signs largest arms deal in American history with Saudi Arabia". 2017-05-20. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Fanfare And Deals Dominate Trump's First Day in Saudi Arabia". NPR. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Trump hails huge Saudi arms deal as a jobs producer". McClatchy DC. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Donald Trump to announce $350bn arms deal to Saudi Arabia – one of the largest in history". The Independent. 2017-05-17. Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "What's the goal of America's arms deal with Saudi Arabia?". ABC News. 2017-05-21. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ Lee, Carol E.; Stancati, Margherita (2017-05-20). "Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia Sign Agreements in Move to Counterbalance Iran". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Trump signs $110bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia". The Independent. 2017-05-20. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "What America's new arms deal with Saudi Arabia says about the Trump administration". Vox. 2017-05-20. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Tillerson hails 'historic moment' in U.S.-Saudi relations". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ David, Javier E. (2017-05-20). "US-Saudi Arabia ink historic 10-year weapons deal worth $350 billion as Trump begins visit". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Trump signs $110B defense deal, receives warm welcome in Saudi Arabia". United Press International. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
- ^ "Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh adopts unprecedented techniques". Al-Arabiya. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ Hanson, Hillary (21 May 2017). "Trump Touched A Glowing Orb in Saudi Arabia And Folks Found It Just A Bit Odd". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ Mansour, Massinissa (20 May 2017). "Algérie-Etats-Unis/Abdelkader Bensalah rencontre Donald Trump ce dimanche". Algérie Focus. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ a b El-Said, Mohammed (21 May 2017). "Al-Sisi holds series of meetings on margins of the Islamic-American summit in Riyadh". Daily News Egypt. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ "Gambia: President Barrow Leaves For Saudi Arabia". Jollof Media Network. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ Finnegan, Connor (May 19, 2017). "What to watch for in President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia". ABC News. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
Sunni Saudi Arabia did not invite Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shiite, instead inviting the much less powerful Iraqi president Fuad Masum, a Sunni Kurd. The perceived insult was seen to alienate Abadi, a crucial partner in the international fight against ISIS, and as one former U.S. ambassador told ABC News, it betrays an American administration either too disorganized to notice or too naive to grasp the importance.
- ^ "Sommet de Riyad : Nasser Bourita représente le Maroc". Ya Biladi. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ "Sayyid Fahd takes part in GCC-US Summit". Times of Oman. Oman News Agency. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ a b Hensch, Mark (19 May 2017). "Sudan leader to miss Saudi summit with Trump". The Hill. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ "Mirziyoyev to participate at meeting of Trump with Muslim leaders in Riyadh". Akipress. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ Lahsini, Chaima (19 May 2017). "King Mohammed VI Cancels His Visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia". Morocco World News. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ a b Barnard, Anne; Kirkpatrick, David (June 5, 2017). "5 Arab States Break Ties With Qatar, Complicating U.S. Coalition-Building". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Arab powers sever Qatar ties, widening rift among US allies". Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia, Egypt lead Arab states cutting Qatar ties, Iran blames Trump". CNBC. AP, Reuters. 5 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Beauchamp, Zack (22 May 2017). "The hilarious Trump orb photo is a nearly perfect metaphor for his foreign policy". Vox. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ Hunt, Elle (22 May 2017). "'One orb to rule them all': image of Donald Trump and glowing globe perplexes internet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ Parker, James (13 January 2019). "When Donald Trump Touched the Magic Orb". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ Pengelly, Martin (2020-03-04). "'One orb, slightly used': MBS book reveals fate of Trump's mysterious Saudi sphere". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-03-04.