The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud receives US President Joe Biden with a handshake at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2022. (Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court via Reuters)
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: US President Joe Biden began a visit to Saudi Arabia on Friday by giving Saudi Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman a fist bump and shaking hands with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The meeting will focus on reviewing bilateral relations and the means to enhance them in all fields.
Biden was met by Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca province, upon his arrival in the Kingdom.
The U.S. president then headed to the royal palace where Saudi TV showed him fist-bumping the Saudi Crown Prince. State news agency SPA later published a photo of Biden shaking hands with the Saudi King.
At the start of Biden's Middle East trip, officials said he would avoid close contacts, such as shaking hands, as a precaution against Covid-19. But the president ended up engaging in hand-shaking during the Israel leg of the tour.
After meeting the Saudi King, Biden and his team began a working session with the Saudi Crown Prince and Saudi ministers.
