For New Zealand, the six Gulf countries have also become increasingly essential – especially in trade, but also in wider strategic terms.
New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay (second from left) poses with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (second from right) after concluding negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in Wellington, New Zealand, Sep. 25, 2024.
This week’s high-profile visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Washington, D.C. is another reminder of the enduring centrality of the Gulf.
The trip by MBS reciprocates U.S. President Donald Trump’s own travel in May to Saudi Arabia, the first scheduled foreign trip of his second term. The tour echoed Trump’s inaugural call on Riyadh during his first term in 2017. But this time around, Trump also visited Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two smaller, yet increasingly powerful Gulf states.
Still, this week’s visit by MBS to Washington is particularly noteworthy because it is the first such visit in nearly eight years. Saudi-U.S. relations cooled after the controversial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in late 2018. However, in mid-2022, relations were effectively restored when then-U.S.
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