Saudi Arabia to host investment summit during bin Salman’s Washington visit, source says

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By Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia is expected to host a U.S.-Saudi investment summit in Washington on November 19 during a visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a source familiar with the planning.

Bin Salman will be in Washington to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on November 18, a White House official said last week.

The summit will be held on the sidelines of bin Salman’s visit and not be a part of his official schedule, the source said, declining to be identified because the event is not yet public.

Trump and Bin Salman may drop in, but their participation was not currently part of the program, the source added.

News of the summit was first reported by CBS News, which, citing an invitation, reported that the event would be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and co-hosted by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia and the U.S.-Saudi Business Council.

Bin Salman will visit Washington as Trump pushes Saudi Arabia to join the list of nations that have joined the Abraham Accords normalizing relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for U.S. arms, and Trump and bin Salman may also discuss a U.S.-Saudi defense agreement. The Financial Times reported last month that there were hopes the two countries could sign such an agreement during bin Salman’s visit.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; additional reporting by Christian Martinez and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Lincoln Feast)