US Speaker Arrives in Saudi Arabia

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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US Speaker Arrives in Saudi Arabia

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday during which he is scheduled to meet with a number of senior officials and Chairman of the Shura Council.

Ryan's visit to Saudi Arabia is of great importance as US-Saudi relations are continuously developing. US President Donald Trump had already visited Saudi Arabia during his first overseas trip as president.

The US official will discuss diplomatic relations between the two countries, in addition to a range of topics, including cooperation between the Committee of Friendship and the House of Representatives of the United States.

In May 2017, a delegation from the Saudi Shura Council visited the US House of Representatives Speaker in his office at the US Congress, stressing the importance of Saudi-US relations as well as strengthening and developing them to serve the common interests of both countries and peoples.

During the visit, the Shura delegation explained Vision 2030 and its objectives, stressing that it is not only a shift in the economic field, but a transformation at the social level that can help Saudi Arabia develop and prosper. 

Ryan praised the progress achieved by Saudi Arabia and its efforts in countering terrorism, lauding the Kingdom in forming the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

Ryan had landed at King Salman Air Base Airport, and was received by the Chairman of the Shura Council, Sheikh Abdullah Al Sheikh, the Council’s Deputy Speaker, Mohammad al-Jafri, and a number of officials.

The US official is accompanied by a number of heads of committees, deputies and advisers at the House of Representatives.



Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Azerbaijan after Plane Crash

A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)
A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)
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Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Azerbaijan after Plane Crash

A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)
A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)

Saudi Arabia offered on Wednesday its condolences to Azerbaijan following the plane crash in Kazakhstan.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and to the government and people of Azerbaijan. It wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The Muslim World League (MWL) also extended its condolences to the government and people of Azerbaijan following the crash.

An Embraer passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people while 29 survivors received hospital treatment, Kazakh authorities said.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea, after what Russia's aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike. But an aviation expert suggested that cause seemed unlikely.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said according to information he had received, the plane changed course due to poor weather, but he added the cause of the crash was unknown and must be fully investigated.