On May 9-10, Kurilla traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with “leaders of the Saudi Royal Armed Forces and senior US diplomats. The visit is part of an ongoing multi-country trip to the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” US Central Command said.
He met with the Chief of General Staff, Gen. Fayyadh al-Ruwaili, and other Saudi senior military leaders. They discussed the region, Gaza, and defense technology. Kurilla also met with the US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Michael Ratney, and the US Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen, Steven Fagin. “The leaders discussed current security challenges in the region, with particular emphasis on Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.” Kurilla praised the Saudis.
"The Royal Saudi Armed Forces are a critical security partner in the region as we address regional security challenges through interoperable organizations and capabilities…Building on our over seven decades of direct military partnership, we continue to work together to achieve our shared goals."
Kurilla was also in Egypt from May 6-7. He was there to gain a “deeper understanding of the perspectives of Egyptian military leaders on regional security and the status of humanitarian aid,” CENTCOM said. He met Egyptian General Mohamed Zaki, the Minister of Defense and Military Production, and Lt. Gen. Osama Askar, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. “The leaders focused their discussions on regional security concerns in Gaza and the Red Sea, alleviating humanitarian suffering in Gaza, and the need to reestablish stability following the current regional conflicts.” READ MORE