Pompeo on Saudi Arabia: It ‘Is a Long Historic Commitment and One that Is Absolutely Vital to America’s National Security’

‘We are hopeful that each of those commitments that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia made to the United States to purchase equipment will be finished in a timely fashion’

EXCERPT:

REPORTER: "Mr. Secretary, based on the president’s statements, moving forward, the relations with Saudi Arabia won’t be affected by the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and how can you differentiate between the kingdom and the crown prince?"
POMPEO: "So it’s a mean, nasty world out there, the Middle East in particular. There are important American interests to keep the American people safe, to protect Americans, not only Americans who are here, but Americans who are traveling and working doing businesses in the Middle East. It is the president’s obligation and the State Department’s duty as well to ensure that we adopt policy that furthers America’s national security. So as the president said today, the United States will continue to have a relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They are an important partner of ours. We will do that with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its people, that is -- that is the commitment that the president made today. It’s that straight forward. By the way, this is a long historic commitment and one that is absolutely vital to America’s national security. We -- we are determined to ensure that we continue to make sure that we take care of the American people in all of the strategic decisions we make about with whom we work around the world."

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