Defence Minister
On 5 November 2011, Prince Salman was appointed the Minister of Defence, replacing his full brother late Crown Prince Sultan, and late Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz was named as the governor of the Riyadh Province. Prince Salman was also named as a member of the National Security Council (NSC) on the same day.
It is speculated that his appointment as Defence Minister occurred due to his qualities. First, he has a conciliatory and diplomatic nature. It is well known that he actively deals with internal family problems and mediates disputes between family members. Second, Prince Salman belongs to the middle generation in the royal family; therefore, he could develop close ties with both generations socially and culturally. Last, as a result of his long-term governorship, he developed a network of relationships within Arab and international circles.
Prince Salman visited both the US and the United Kingdom where he met with U.S. President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2012. In June 2012, he met Spanish defence minister Pedro Morenés.
Read more about this topic: Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud
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