Manama: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Saud Al Faisal is expected to return home on Wednesday following a successful back surgery in the United States.
Prince Saud, the world's longest-serving foreign minister, had the surgery in January and stayed in the US to undergo physiotherapy, the Saudi Royal Court said.
The minister is scheduled to meet and hold a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry in the capital Riyadh on Thursday, local news site Sabq reported.
Kerry’s visit to the Saudi Arabia seeks to sooth concerns about the consequences of a possible nuclear deal with Iran, reports said.
A statement by the Department of State last month announced that Kerry would travel to Riyadh to meet King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and other senior Saudi officials to discuss the situation in Yemen, Daesh, and other issues of shared concern.
Prior to the trip to the Saudi capital, Kerry is scheduled to “meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif as part of the ongoing EU-coordinated P5+1 nuclear negotiations.”
Prince Saud, 75, was appointed foreign minister of Saudi Arabia by King Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud in March 1975.
Throughout his 40 years in the office, he has been credited with playing highly significant roles in the kingdom’s stances on issues in the Middle East and beyond.
In February, the spokesperson for the foreign ministry denied allegations on social media and microblogs that the veteran minister had passed away.
“I really do not know how such rumours come to spread,” Osama Naqli posted on his Twitter account. “Prince Saud was with me on the phone less than a minute ago, giving me directives on professional matters. I can share with you the good news: He is faring well and God willing, we will see him soon following his physiotherapy, according to the schedule drawn up after the surgery,” the spokesperson said.
In 2012, the foreign ministry denied rumours of Prince Saud's death, saying that he was recovering for a few weeks before returning to the kingdom.
