Obama arrives in Riyadh for GCC summit

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for talks with Saudi King Salman -- his first visit to the oil-rich Gulf monarchy in 16 months.

Obama is also slated to attend a summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday defense ministers from GCC member states held talks with U.S. counterpart Ashton Carter to discuss a host of issues including alleged Iranian interference in domestic Gulf affairs.

Earlier this month U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with GCC foreign ministers in Bahrain to prepare for Obama’s meeting with Gulf leaders.

By Ahmed al-Masri