The 2017 Riyadh summit (Arabic: قمة الرياض 2017) was a series of three summits held on 20–21 May 2017 on the occasion of the visit of United States President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, his first trip overseas. The summit included one bilateral meeting, between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and two multilateral meetings, one between the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the other with Arab and Muslim countries.[1] Leaders and representatives of 54 Arab and Muslim countries, all members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United States took part.[2] Iran and Turkey boycotted the summit, and Syria was not invited.
Riyadh Summit 2017
King Salman, Presidents Trump and el-Sisi inaugurate the Global Center for Combating Extremism by touching an illuminated globe of the Earth.
Host country
Saudi Arabia
Date
May 20, 2017 (2017-05-20) – May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)
On May 20, 2017, U.S. PresidentDonald Trump signed a US$350 billion arms deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[8][9] The arms deal was the largest in world history.[10][8][11] The transaction included tanks, combat ships missile defence systems, as well as radar, communications and cybersecurity technology. The transfer was widely seen as a counterbalance against the influence of Iran in the region.[12][13] The arms transfer was described by news outlets as a "significant" and "historic" expansion of United States relations with Saudi Arabia.[14][15][16][17][18]
United States – Gulf Cooperation Council Summitedit
Trump met with GCC leaders the morning of May 21.[1]
At the close of the summit the leaders inaugurated the new Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh, intended as a centre of excellence for fighting violent extremism which is conducive to terrorism, involving a number of international counter-extremism experts.[19] To officially open the center King Salman, President Trump, and President el-Sisi placed their hands on a glowing orb in the shape of a globe, which was cause for mirth among the international media.[20]
Emboldened by Trump's criticism of Iran, many Arab countries decided to take action against their perceived enemies. Bahrain began cracking down on its Shi'ite majority, killing 5 and arresting 286 people. Bahrain also shut down an independent newspaper and outlawed country's last opposition group.[30]
On 5 June 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, Egypt and Bahrain all announced they were cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar.[30]Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted, "What is happening is the preliminary result of the sword dance," referring to Trump's conduct at the Summit.[31][32]
Popular cultureedit
An image of King Salman, U.S. President Trump, and Egyptian President el-Sisi touching an illuminated globe (see above) sparked a brief commotion on the Internet, particularly the social media website Twitter. Users dubbed the globe "the Orb" and made reference to various popular culture objects, such as the Palantír from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series and "The Orb of Peace" from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[33][34]The Atlantic's James Parker later wrote that "Every presidency has iconic photographs. But there’s nothing else like this one."[35]
Noticing that Americans wanted to have their picture taken with the orb, the Saudi government gave it to the US embassy as a gift. The orb was initially put on display there, but ultimately put into storage.[36]
^ ab"Riyadh Summit 2017". Riyadh Summit 2017. Government of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^"Riyadh summit discusses ways of rooting out terrorism". Al Jazeera. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^"Raw: President Trump Arrives in Saudi Arabia". YouTube. Associated Press. May 20, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday. It is the president's first foreign visit since his inauguration. (May 20)
^Rucker, Philip; DeYoung, Karen (May 20, 2017). "Trump gets elaborate welcome in Saudi Arabia as he embarks on first foreign trip". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. President Trump arrived here Saturday for his debut on the world stage [...] After Air Force One touched down in Riyadh shortly before 10 a.m. local time [...] Chatting through an interpreter, the two men sat for a cup of coffee inside the ornate V.I.P. reception terminal at King Khalid International Airport. Salman rode with Trump in the president's armored Cadillac for the drive into the city.
^Baker, Peter (May 4, 2017). "Trump to Visit Saudi Arabia and Israel in First Foreign Trip". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
^"The Latest: Trump to announce Saudi arms deal". The Palm Beach Post. May 20, 2017. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. The king placed the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud around Trump's neck at a ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh.
^"Raw: Trump Visits National Museum in Riyadh". YouTube. Associated Press. May 20, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
^ ab"Trump signs largest arms deal in American history with Saudi Arabia". 2017-05-20. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Fanfare And Deals Dominate Trump's First Day in Saudi Arabia". NPR. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Trump hails huge Saudi arms deal as a jobs producer". McClatchy DC. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Donald Trump to announce $350bn arms deal to Saudi Arabia – one of the largest in history". The Independent. 2017-05-17. Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"What's the goal of America's arms deal with Saudi Arabia?". ABC News. 2017-05-21. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^Lee, Carol E.; Stancati, Margherita (2017-05-20). "Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia Sign Agreements in Move to Counterbalance Iran". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Trump signs $110bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia". The Independent. 2017-05-20. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"What America's new arms deal with Saudi Arabia says about the Trump administration". Vox. 2017-05-20. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Tillerson hails 'historic moment' in U.S.-Saudi relations". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^David, Javier E. (2017-05-20). "US-Saudi Arabia ink historic 10-year weapons deal worth $350 billion as Trump begins visit". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Trump signs $110B defense deal, receives warm welcome in Saudi Arabia". United Press International. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh adopts unprecedented techniques". Al-Arabiya. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
^Hanson, Hillary (21 May 2017). "Trump Touched A Glowing Orb in Saudi Arabia And Folks Found It Just A Bit Odd". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
^Mansour, Massinissa (20 May 2017). "Algérie-Etats-Unis/Abdelkader Bensalah rencontre Donald Trump ce dimanche". Algérie Focus. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^ abEl-Said, Mohammed (21 May 2017). "Al-Sisi holds series of meetings on margins of the Islamic-American summit in Riyadh". Daily News Egypt. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^"Gambia: President Barrow Leaves For Saudi Arabia". Jollof Media Network. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^Finnegan, Connor (May 19, 2017). "What to watch for in President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia". ABC News. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017. Sunni Saudi Arabia did not invite Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shiite, instead inviting the much less powerful Iraqi president Fuad Masum, a Sunni Kurd. The perceived insult was seen to alienate Abadi, a crucial partner in the international fight against ISIS, and as one former U.S. ambassador told ABC News, it betrays an American administration either too disorganized to notice or too naive to grasp the importance.
^"Sommet de Riyad : Nasser Bourita représente le Maroc". Ya Biladi. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^"Sayyid Fahd takes part in GCC-US Summit". Times of Oman. Oman News Agency. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^ abHensch, Mark (19 May 2017). "Sudan leader to miss Saudi summit with Trump". The Hill. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^"Mirziyoyev to participate at meeting of Trump with Muslim leaders in Riyadh". Akipress. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^Lahsini, Chaima (19 May 2017). "King Mohammed VI Cancels His Visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia". Morocco World News. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^ abBarnard, Anne; Kirkpatrick, David (June 5, 2017). "5 Arab States Break Ties With Qatar, Complicating U.S. Coalition-Building". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^"Arab powers sever Qatar ties, widening rift among US allies". Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
^"Saudi Arabia, Egypt lead Arab states cutting Qatar ties, Iran blames Trump". CNBC. AP, Reuters. 5 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
^Beauchamp, Zack (22 May 2017). "The hilarious Trump orb photo is a nearly perfect metaphor for his foreign policy". Vox. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^Hunt, Elle (22 May 2017). "'One orb to rule them all': image of Donald Trump and glowing globe perplexes internet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^Parker, James (13 January 2019). "When Donald Trump Touched the Magic Orb". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^Pengelly, Martin (2020-03-04). "'One orb, slightly used': MBS book reveals fate of Trump's mysterious Saudi sphere". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donald Trump visit to Saudi Arabia, May 2017.