Pompeo meets Saudi officials on tour through Middle East

Newly minted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi Arabian officials on Saturday as part of his tour of the Middle East.

Pompeo met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh and is expected to meet with Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., and attend a working dinner hosted by ‎Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the State Department.

Secretary Pompeo met Saudi Foreign Minister @AdelAljubeir in Riyadh today. #SaudiArabia plays an important leadership role in working toward a peaceful and prosperous future for the region. A strong U.S.-Saudi partnership is critical to that effort. pic.twitter.com/4cklGScOWu

— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) April 28, 2018

Pompeo kicked off his first overseas trip as President Trump’s new secretary of State earlier this week, traveling to Brussels for a NATO ministers meeting before starting on his Middle East tour.

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The NATO meeting focused on preparations for July’s NATO heads of state and government summit, according to the State Department.

Apart from meeting with Saudi officials, Pompeo is expected to meet with Israeli and Jordanian leaders as part of his Middle East tour.

He will discuss “critical regional and bilateral issues” with the leaders, according to the State Department.

Pompeo, who served as Trump’s CIA director, was confirmed by the Senate to be secretary of State on Thursday. He replaced Rex Tillerson, who was ousted earlier this year as the nation’s top diplomat.