U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on October 16, 2018.(AFP photo)

RIYADH, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud met on Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to discuss bilateral ties and the recent row over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist in Turkey.

During the meeting, King Salman and Pompeo reviewed the "historic relationships" between the two countries and discussed "current situations in the region and joint efforts being exerted towards them," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Pompeo visited Riyadh as Saudi Arabia and Turkey launched a joint investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Monday that Pompeo visited Saudi Arabia at request of U.S. President Donald Trump, who "called for a prompt and open investigation into the disappearance" of Khashoggi.

The SPA report did not mention if the king and Pompeo discussed the case of Khashoggi, who is a strong critic of Saudi government.

But the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Tuesday that during the meeting, Pompeo thanked King Salman "for his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent and timely investigation of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance."

Pompeo and his Saudi counterpart Abdel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir also held a meeting Tuesday to discuss a range of regional and bilateral issues. The top U.S. diplomat "reiterated U.S. concern" over Khashoggi's disappearance, the State Department said in another statement.

Khashoggi's disappearance has aroused criticism about Saudi Arabia, as some unconfirmed reports said that he might be killed or arrested, which were denied by the kingdom as "baseless."