Riyadh in world spotlight after flurry of summits

 In a new record and highlighting its strategic place in world politics, Riyadh has hosted four major summits in the city over two days.
The first gathering involved the Saudi and American governments, with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman holding talks with US President Barack Obama on bilateral relations, terrorism and Middle East issues.
Then a Gulf-Morocco summit was held with Moroccan King Mohammed VII; Obama met leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); and the Moroccan king met leaders of the GCC. The issues at these gatherings included Iran’s interference in the region, conflict, tackling terror groups and economic issues.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister, met with US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at Al-Diriyah palace on Wednesday to discuss terrorism, unstable countries and Iran’s imperialist agenda.
Prince Mohammed had stressed that the region’s problems could only be solved if all stakeholders worked together.
This view was reinforced by Secretary-General of the GCC Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, who said there should be joint patrols to prevent the shipment of arms to Yemen.