Riyadh- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, was awarded on Friday the “George Tenet Medal,” a CIA honor in recognition of his efforts to fight terrorism.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo handed out the crown prince the medal in Riyadh.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, attended the ceremony.
In a statement after receiving the medal, Naif said he appreciated the CIA honor and framed it as recognition of Saudi Arabia’s anti-terrorism efforts under the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
“All negative religious, political and social ideologies that use religion as a tool do not reflect the absolute truth about religion,” Naif said. “We, God willing, continue to confront terrorism and extremism everywhere — Thanks to God and Saudi efforts we have managed to thwart many terrorist plots,” he added.
The Crown Prince also stressed that the fight against terrorism is a shared international responsibility that requires international efforts on all levels to confront it militarily and intellectually, as well as financially. He noted that this must be done within the framework of international law and the principles of the U.N.
Answering a question on current Saudi-U.S. relations, Prince Naif underlined the importance of the strong and historic ties, saying the two sides would not allow anything or anyone to influence that.
The Saudi Crown Prince and CIA Director discussed topics of common interest, especially reinforcing cooperation in security fields and combatting terrorism.
Asharq Al-Awsat
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