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Kerry bids fond farewell to Saudi counterpart | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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US Secretary of State John Kerry is greeted by Prince Saud Al-Faisal upon arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool, File)


US Secretary of State John Kerry is greeted by Prince Saud Al-Faisal upon arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool, File)

US Secretary of State John Kerry is greeted by Prince Saud Al-Faisal upon arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool, File)

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—US Secretary of State John Kerry bid farewell to his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Wednesday, hailing him as “not just . . . the planet’s longest-serving foreign minister but also among the wisest.”

“During four decades at the highest levels of international diplomacy, Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal helped guide Saudi Arabia through an ever-more-complicated world. I will continue to seek his counsel and value his friendship, forged over many hours spent discussing the challenges our nations face,” Kerry said.

“He worked with 12 of my predecessors as US secretaries of state, and was universally admired,” he added.

Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz relieved Prince Saud Al-Faisal of his post as foreign minister on Wednesday in one of a number of royal decrees that also saw the appointment of a new Crown Prince and Deputy Crown Prince. Saud Al-Faisal has been replaced by Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel Al-Jubeir.

The US secretary of state welcomed Jubeir’s appointment, describing him as a “skilled diplomat and trusted interlocutor.”

“His promotion reaffirms the strong and historic bond between Saudi Arabia and the United States at a critical time. I wish him the best of luck in this new and important endeavor,” Kerry added.