US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, as he hosted Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for a gala dinner at the White House.
"Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that we're taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them," Trump said.
"And I'm just telling you now for the first time, because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight," Trump said of the designation, which only 19 other countries have previously received.
The move aims to elevate the military relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia.
The designation is largely symbolic but provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation.
Countries with the designation include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Japan and New Zealand, among others.
