Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The US State Department yesterday announced that Secretary of State John Kerry will pay a visit to Saudi Arabia in the first week of March, as part of his first international tour since assuming office earlier this month. Kerry will meet with the Saudi leadership to discuss bilateral cooperation on several important issues, and he will also participate in a ministerial meeting with his counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

The US State Department issued a statement on behalf of spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, revealing that Secretary of State John Kerry will begin his foreign tour on 24 February, which will continue until 6 March. The trip includes visits to Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

A senior official at the US Embassy in Riyadh informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Kerry’s second stop-off in the Middle East after Egypt will be Saudi Arabia, adding that this is testament to the strength of the relationship between Riyadh and Washington. The official remarked that Kerry’s planned visit puts paid to reports alleging that the US is distancing itself from the Middle East after withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan, and that Washington has begun to focus more attention on Asia. The source stressed that Washington appreciates the importance of its strategic relations with Riyadh and the Middle East region as a whole.

The official added that John Kerry’s visit to Saudi Arabia will last two days, beginning on 3 March, during which he will meet with officials from the Saudi government in addition to three unnamed Gulf foreign ministers. He pointed out that the meetings will focus on bilateral relations between Washington and the Gulf states, in addition to discussing issues of common concern such as the Syrian crisis, the situation in Afghanistan, and the Middle East peace process.

The US official stated that this visit comes at a sensitive and important time in light of the major events the region is experiencing, and highlights the US State Department’s awareness of the importance of the Middle East and the role it plays there.

The volume of commercial trade between Saudi Arabia and the US exceeded USD 60 billion during the past year. Saudi Arabia is America’s 12th largest commodity trading partner, while Saudi Arabia is the 25th largest export market for US goods. The value of US goods exports to Saudi Arabia amounted to USD 13 billion in 2011, at the forefront of which were exports in automobiles, machinery, medical equipment, and aircraft.

According to an official statement, obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat from the US Embassy in Riyadh, Kerry will first travel to London to meet with senior British officials. He will then visit Berlin, which will be “an opportunity to reconnect with the city in which he lived as a child”. The secretary of state will make a further stopover in France, to discuss ongoing American cooperation in the international effort to support Mali, and then Rome, where he will participate in multilateral meetings on Syria, with the leadership of the Syrian National Coalition.

In Ankara, Kerry will discuss strategic priorities and seek to expand Turkish-American bilateral cooperation, including with regards to counter terrorism. The US secretary of state will then travel to Cairo where he will meet with senior Egyptian officials and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby. Following his scheduled visit to Riyadh, Kerry will travel to the UAE and finally conclude his trip in Doha, Qatar.