Obama to visit Saudi Arabia to offer condolences after King Abdullah's death

US President Barack Obama is expected to pay an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to meet with newly-appointed King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the White House said.

The meeting will centre on how to push bilateral US-Saudi ties forward, and touch upon regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.

The talks will be the first between Obama and the Saudi king since the latter took over after the death of his predecessor, King Abdullah, on Saturday.

The visit, a senior US official said, will be an opportunity for Obama "to pay respects to the family and to the people of Saudi Arabia" after Abdullah's passing.

"They will touch on some of the leading issues where we cooperate very closely with Saudi Arabia," said Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser.

He said the anti-IS coalition - of which Saudi Arabia is a member - and its fight against the group in Iraq and Syria, and the situation in Yemen, would be major topics of discussion.

Abdullah, who ruled the Gulf state since 2005, died on Jan. 23 at age 90.

Obama decided to cut short a three-day visit to India and head to Riyadh after his death, as Saudi Arabia is a long-time US ally and leading oil exporter.

Meanwhile on Monday, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, announced a research and essay competition at the National Defense University in honour of former King Abdullah.

“This is an important opportunity to honor the memory of the king,” Dempsey said in a statement announcing the competition.

“In my job to train and advise his military forces, and in our relationship since, I found the king to be a man of remarkable character and courage,” he added.