President Trump and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain announced Wednesday $17 billion worth of investments in the U.S. by the Middle East ally during a White House meeting.
“We don’t have to borrow it. It’s coming in, and it only builds upon a legacy that we’re very proud of,” said the crown prince, who also serves as Bahrain’s prime minister. “We have had a relationship in the civil side between our two countries since 1893 and formally, since 1940. So may it long continue, and we look forward to many more years.”
Mr. Trump agreed, saying, “We will have that indeed – many good years here right now. This is your top year, and we appreciate the investment.”
The president said his most recent trip to the Middle East included Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he said he left with $5.1 trillion of investments. These agreements encompass the fields of aviation and technology.
As part of the investment, Bahrain will sign a deal between Gulf Air and Boeing/GE worth an estimated $7 billion to purchase 12 aircraft, with an option for six additional planes. The White House said the Bahrain agreement will support 30,000 American jobs.
According to the White House, Bahrain is expected to sign agreements with Oracle and Cisco, and plans to replace Chinese servers with Cisco products.
The deal also includes the sale of 40 GE engines, according to the White House.
The White House meeting is part of a larger diplomatic and economic engagement focused on strengthening cooperation across defense, trade, technology and regional security. It marks the crown prince’s third visit to the White House during Mr. Trump’s first and second terms.
On Nov. 30, 2017, in his first meeting with Mr. Trump, the discussions delved into defense and economic cooperation, involving approximately $9 billion in military deals.
The crown prince’s second visit to the White House, on Sept. 16, 2019, included Bahrain’s signing of a Patriot missile defense agreement and expanded talks on regional stability and trade.
The meeting on Wednesday followed the Crown Prince attending a reception hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at its headquarters in Washington, bringing together Bahraini and American companies.
Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani at the State Department for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on nuclear cooperation.
They said the agreement reflects Bahrain’s commitment to safe, peaceful nuclear energy development and deeper scientific collaboration with the U.S.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.