Saudi-US relations moving the way they are 'supposed to', says Adel Al Jubeir

Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs tells 'The National' that Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had 'good chemistry'

Saudi Arabia's King Salman greets Mr Biden at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah. Photo: @spagov

Latest news on Joe Biden's tour of the Middle East here

A senior Saudi minister said US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman established “good chemistry” at their meeting on Friday.

In an interview with The National on Saturday, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir outlined the multifaceted nature of the US-Saudi relationship and said Mr Biden's visit was an important one.

“Everything is moving the way it's supposed to,” Mr Al Jubeir said.

“But at the leadership level, because this is the first visit by President Biden as president — symbolically it's important.”

He added that there was “very good chemistry” between the two leaders.

Mr Biden and Prince Mohammed will attend a summit later on Saturday that will include the participation of Gulf Co-operation Council countries as well as Iraq, Egypt and Jordan, known as the GCC+3.

The US president is hoping to convince Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to boost oil production over the coming months to help bring down the cost of petrol.

On Friday, Mr Biden flew on Air Force One from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jeddah, the first US president to make such a trip. The flight was made possible after Saudi Arabia agreed to “open” its skies to all civilian aircraft earlier in the day.