United States President Donald Trump heaped praise on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and tagged him “friend of mine” during a meeting between the two leaders Saturday at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
Donald Trump refused to answer, however, questions from reporters over whether he would face the prince over the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi, which has sparked backlash from human rights and free-press advocates, as well as United States lawmakers.
In a statement, the White House said that the two leaders discussed a myriad of issues, including oil markets, Saudi Arabia’s role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and Iran, the Hill reported. Some lawmakers have called on Trump to disavow Saudi leadership since Khashoggi’s death last year.
A whole lot of people have accused the crown prince of directing the murder of the U.S.-based Saudi journalist over his criticisms of the kingdom. Khashoggi’s life was taken and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October. He had gone to the building to building to obtain certification of his divorce so he could marry his girlfriend, Hatice Cengiz, who waited outside for him.
Saudi Arabia has outrightly denied party to the killing. Many have accused the Middle Eastern kingdom of undermining Turkish effort to investigate the journalist’s death.
A UN expert on extrajudicial killings called for an international investigation into the death on Wednesday. Donald Trump has cited strong economic ties between the two nations whenever asked to rebuke Saudi leadership.
Last week, the Senate voted to stop an $8 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Donald Trump has said he will use his veto power to move the measure forward. In addition to praising the crown prince on Friday, Donald Trump also touted the country’s recent moves in modernization, such as overturning a ban on women driving and reopening movie theaters after more than three decades.
The prince is “a man who has really done things in the last five years in terms of opening Saudi Arabia,” he said as the meeting began, adding “It’s like a revolution in a very positive way.”