Saudi Arabia has announced that it has decided to invest 600 billion US dollars in the United States. This announcement was made during US President Donald Trump’s current visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia as part of a trip to three Gulf countries. In addition to Saudi Arabia, he will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During Trump’s visit, important agreements have been signed to strengthen relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States in various fields. One of the most notable agreements is the one signed by Saudi Arabia to invest 600 billion dollars in the United States. Additionally, an agreement was reached during Trump’s visit to sell $142 million worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The White House described this as the most expensive defense agreement made with a foreign country.
Trump has also announced during his trip that he will ease the strict sanctions imposed by the United States against Syria. The sanctions against Syria were imposed by Western powers, including the United States, and Arab countries in connection with the civil war that began in that country 14 years ago. The war ended when the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a coup. HTS overthrew Assad’s government on December 8, 2024. Speaking at an investment forum in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Trump said he decided to lift the sanctions imposed by the United States against Syria at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He said that the results of the sanctions against Syria were good, and now it was time to lift those measures.
Azad Hassan al-Shaibani, the Foreign Minister of the HTS government, welcomed Trump’s announcement to lift the sanctions against Syria. The United States designated Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism against its own people in 1979. And sanctions against that country were imposed in 2004. Subsequently, in 2011, the United States further tightened those measures.
The president of the HTS government ruling Syria is Ahmed al-Shara, the leader of that group. The White House said that Trump has decided to hold a brief meeting with Shara during his trip to Saudi Arabia. Shara’s government has made many proposals to Trump in order to secure such a meeting opportunity. Among some of the things Shara has proposed to please Trump is offering Trump’s business company, ‘The Trump Organization,’ the opportunity to build a high-end building in the capital Damascus.
While many agreements have been signed between Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed during their meetings, they include agreements related to energy, defense, and the mining industry. The White House said that defense agreements include agreements on providing air defense systems and missile defense systems, strengthening relations between air forces and air agencies, as well as agreements related to maritime security and communications. The Saudi Crown Prince said that with further agreements being signed along with ongoing discussions, the total value of agreements signed between the two countries will reach one trillion US dollars.
