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Obama cut short his crucial visit in India to be one of the first world leaders to meet the King Salman since the demise of his half brother King Abdullah. Obama arrived in Riyadh with a large bipartisan delegation of U.S. dignitaries and officials to show their interest in the kingdom and relationship that they had with the Late King Abdullah.

The trip to Saudi Arabia is showcasing the importance of ties and relation with each other. Despite a boon in domestic fuel production and major shifts in the geopolitics of the Middle East, the Saudis are still viewed vital to U.S. goals in the region, including a nuclear deal with Iran, a credible coalition in the fight against Islamic State and counter-terrorism efforts in a rapidly destabilizing Yemen.

“It is important for us to take into account existing relationships, the existing alignments within a very complicated Middle East,” Obama told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview aired Tuesday.

The president was accompanied by a 29-member delegation of current advisors as well as officials from earlier administrations who actively worked with the royal family, the White House said. The delegation included three former national security advisors and two former secretaries of State, James A. Baker III and Condoleezza Rice.

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), as well as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also joined the trip, as did Obama’s secretary of State, CIA director, national security advisor and the head of U.S. Central Command.

“What I've found effective is to apply steady, consistent pressure, even as we are getting business done that needs to get done,” Obama said in the CNN interview. “And oftentimes that makes some of our allies uncomfortable. It makes them frustrated. Sometimes we have to balance our need to speak to them about human rights issues with immediate concerns that we have in terms of countering terrorism or dealing with regional stability.”

President Obama and his team’s visit marked their empathy and bond with the Royal Family. US expressed that they will further their relationship with the Kingdom and region.

-Kannamsai