Kerry appreciated Saud al-Faisal
Islamabad, Pakistan: US Secretary of State John Kerry has appreciated services of former Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Saud al-Faisal who was released by Saudi king, indicating that he (Kerry) will continue to seek his counsel and value his friendship.
In a Press Statement issued by US Department of State, Secretary of State John Kerry was of the view that “Prince Saud will be greatly missed”
Here is full statement released today:
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.
Prince Saud has not just been the planet’s longest-serving Foreign Minister but also among the wisest. He worked with 12 of my predecessors as U.S. Secretaries of State, and was universally admired.
While Prince Saud will be greatly missed, I look forward to continuing to work closely with his successor, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir. I have known Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir for a long time — in fact, we met when he was a young diplomat, assigned to help shepherd me around Riyadh in the 1980s.
We have, of course, come to know each other far better since then, particularly during his exemplary service as the Kingdom’s Ambassador in Washington. A skilled diplomat and trusted interlocutor for many American officials, 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.
