RIYADH — King Salman presented US President Donald Trump with the King Abdulaziz medal at al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh Saturday.— Al Arabiya </s> Baku. 20 May. REPORT.AZ/ President of the United States Donald Trump has arrived on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia. Report informs citing the Al-Arabiyain Riyadh, Trump is scheduled to meet with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Issues of strengthening cooperation in a number of areas, in particular, in the economic and military-technical spheres will be discussed. A number of bilateral agreements are expected to be signed.

After Saudi Arabia, Trump will visit Israel and the Vatican and then take part in the NATO summit in Brussels and the G-7 leaders' meeting in Sicily. </s> US President Donald Trump will award the 2018 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Elvis Presley, George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. and five other individuals, the White House said in a statement on Saturday.

The medal is the highest civilian honour in the United States and is given annually to people who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours.

Trump will also award the medal to Miriam Adelson, a physician who together with her husband Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino magnate, is a major donor to the Republican party, Jewish causes worldwide, and medical research.

Also receiving the award next week will be Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and the first African-American to serve on that court Alan Page, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and former professional football player Roger Staubach. </s> President Donald Trump soaked up the grandeur of Saudi Arabia on his first foreign stop as president last year and envisioned huge benefits for the United States in building closer ties with the repressive and oil-rich desert kingdom.

Now, the White House relationship with Riyadh is imperiled over the mysterious disappearance of a Saudi writer, and the situation is creating friction between the Trump administration and members of Congress demanding to know if the columnist for The Washington Post was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Trump said he has talked to officials at the highest level of the kingdom and is “demanding everything” to explain how Jamal Khashoggi, an activist who had been critical of Saudi leaders, vanished after he walked into the consulate in Istanbul to get documents he needed to get married.

Turkish authorities claim Khashoggi, who resided in the United States, was killed by members of an elite Saudi “assassination squad.” The kingdom describes the allegation as “baseless.” But if Saudi Arabia is found to be complicit in his disappearance or death, the warm U.S.-Saudi relationship — and even hopes for Middle East peace — could be upended.

A senior administration official said Friday that the U.S. is in ongoing contact with Turkish and Saudi officials about the case. The U.S. believes it is essential that Turkish authorities — with full, transparent support from the Saudi government — are able to conduct a thorough investigation and officially release the results, the official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the U.S. supports Turkish investigators’ efforts, will not prejudge the outcome of the official investigation, but stands ready to assist.

Trump said Thursday the U.S. had “investigators over there and we’re working with Turkey” and Saudi Arabia. But he has provided no details.

Trump has backed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious campaign to modernize the conservative kingdom and its economy. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who exchanges phone and text messages with the young crown prince, was instrumental in last year’s deal to sell $110 billion in U.S. weapons to the kingdom.

But even before Khashoggi vanished, concerns were mounting in Congress over Saudi Arabia’s policies and the crown prince’s aggressive steps to silence his critics. And now there are calls on Capitol Hill for the U.S. to halt arms sales to the kingdom, and Khashoggi’s disappearance could galvanize more opposition from lawmakers and pressure Trump to rethink his relations with Saudi Arabia.

Trump on Thursday pronounced U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia “excellent” and said he doesn’t want to scuttle arms deals with Riyadh because it means tens of millions of dollars pouring into the U.S. economy. He said the kingdom would simply buy the weapons from Russia or China instead.

“If it turns out to be as bad as it might be, there are certainly other ways of handling this situation,” he said without elaborating.

Much of how the U.S. responds will depend on whether evidence surfaces that proves Saudi Arabia is responsible for Khashoggi’s death.

Trump will have to craft a “calibrated response,” said Jon Alterman, who directs the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “He doesn’t like that approach. The president likes complete wins.”

The close ties between the Trump White House and the kingdom were in part forged by a friendship between two young princes: Last spring, Kushner and the crown prince met formally for the first time as a late-season snow fell outside the White House.

The two men — both in their 30s, both trusted aides of older, familial leaders — struck a bond. As their countries’ chief negotiators on Israeli-Palestinian peace, Kushner and the Saudi prince were both looking to make a name for themselves on the world stage and consulted with each other frequently over the following months.

Kushner championed Crown Prince Mohammed to the president and senior foreign policy officials, some of whom expressed wariness at the embrace of MBS, as he is known in diplomatic circles.

The two men’s relationship also played a key role in Riyadh becoming the unlikely first stop on Trump’s maiden international trip in May 2017. Trump, despite endorsing a travel ban on Muslims during his campaign, became the first U.S. president to make his official first trip to an Islamic nation.

Relations between the two countries are complex because they are entwined on energy, military, economic and intelligence issues. The Trump administration has aggressively courted the Saudis for support of its Middle East agenda to counter Iranian influence, fight extremism and forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We want to have a relationship with Saudi Arabia. They’re a strategic partner. They’re a mortal enemy of the Iranians. They’re helping us on terrorism,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump supporter and top member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Having said all that, if this did happen — and it’s increasingly likely that something bad happened to this man at the hands of the Saudi government — that shows contempt for us. That’s disrespectful to us. It puts people like me in a box who’ve been one of the leading champions of the relationship.”

It’s not just Graham who’s in a box. It’s also Trump, who has long-standing business ties to Saudi Arabia.

Jeff Prescott, who was senior director for the Middle East at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, said that a reassessment of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia is overdue and that Trump should raise U.S. complaints with Saudi leaders.

“What the Trump administration has given Saudi Arabia is a green light to pursue any policy,” said Prescott, now executive director of National Security Action, a group of former officials opposed to the Trump administration. “The key question is whether Republicans will have the courage to force the administration to have a reckoning of the relationship.”

He said Kushner’s project to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians also could be in jeopardy.

“There is no question that a rift with Saudi Arabia — or even relations strained by pressure from Congress — would make an already bleak prospect even less likely,” Prescott said.

In Congress, there is a push for sanctions under a human rights law, and lawmakers are questioning American support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. The U.S. has raised concerns previously about heavy civilian casualties caused by the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., voiced doubt there would be support in Congress for another arms sale to Saudi Arabia — though lawmakers haven’t blocked sales before. He also called for at least a temporary halt in U.S. military support for the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen. Murphy tweeted that if Saudi Arabia is found complicit in Khashoggi’s death, it should be viewed as a “fundamental break in our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's first trip abroad (all times local):

Melania Trump's decision not to wear a headscarf upon arrival in the Middle East is drawing attention on social media.

The first lady wore a black pantsuit with a golden belt but did not cover her head, consistent with custom for female foreign dignitaries visiting Saudi Arabia.

President Donald Trump had criticized former first lady Michelle Obama for not wearing a head scarf during a January 2015 visit to the nation with then-President Barack Obama.

Trump said in a 2015 tweet that, while many people applauded Mrs. Obama's decision, the people of Saudi Arabia "were insulted."

President Donald Trump is preparing for a busy day of meetings in Saudi Arabia.

The president, first lady Melania Trump and top White House aides touched down Saturday morning in Riyadh. It's the first stop of a nine-day, multi-country tour.

The president began his visit with a coffee ceremony with King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

He'll participate later in an arrival ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court and a luncheon banquet, followed by a bilateral meeting with the king, a signing ceremony and a meeting with the Deputy Crown Prince.

Saturday night, he'll attend a royal banquet at Murabba Palace followed by a tour of the National Museum.

President Donald Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia met briefly for a coffee ceremony after the president's arrival Saturday in Riyadh.

Trump and Salman spoke through an interpreter inside the airport terminal after the president stepped off Air Force One.

Trump and his motorcade then made their way to his hotel for a few hours of downtime before beginning the day's meetings.

The nation offered Trump an elaborate welcome. Billboards featuring the image of Trump and the king dotted the highways of Riyadh and lights bathed Trump's luxury hotel in red, white and blue lights and, at times, an image of the president's face.

First Lady Melania Trump wore a black pantsuit with a golden belt and did not cover her head, consistent with custom for foreign dignitaries visiting Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump is stepping off Air Force One in Saudi Arabia to begin his first international trip since taking office.

Trump waved as he stood atop stairs that had been rolled to the side of the official presidential aircraft as it landed at Riyadh's airport. He was joined by First Lady Melania Trump.

Trump was greeted by King Salman of Saudi Arabia. They exchanged a handshake and Trump said it was "a great honor" to be there.

Several jets also flew overhead leaving a red, white and blue trail.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told reporters on the plane that Trump spent the flight meeting with staff, working on his upcoming speech to the Muslim world and getting a little sleep.

President Donald Trump is opening his first trip abroad since taking office, touching down in Saudi Arabia after an overnight flight from Washington.

Trump's visit is aimed at building stronger partnerships to combat terrorism in the region. He's also hoping to move past the controversies engulfing his administration.

Trump flew to Riyadh overnight on Air Force One. He's the only American president to make Saudi Arabia, or any majority Muslim country, his first stop overseas as president. The scheduling choice is designed in part to show respect to the region after months of harsh anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric.

Trump will also travel to Israel, have an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and attend the NATO summit in Brussels and the Group of 7 meeting in Sicily.
U.S. President Trump is awarded his first foreign order, the Order of King Abdulaziz.