Creating a Thawing Atmosphere Between the Two Countries
Discussion on Israel, Iran, Sudan, and Yemen Issues at the Talks
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken held talks with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (right) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are holding talks on the 7th (local time) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. During this visit, Secretary Blinken is expected to meet with Saudi leadership to discuss ending conflicts in Sudan and Yemen, combating the Islamic State (IS), and normalizing relations between Israel and Arab countries. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 6th (local time), AFP and other foreign media reported that Secretary Blinken and Crown Prince bin Salman held a meeting, and citing a U.S. official, stated that Blinken raised concerns about Saudi Arabia's human rights issues during the meeting.
The official said, "They broadly covered regional and bilateral issues and had candid and frank discussions," adding, "Secretary Blinken raised human rights issues both generally and specifically."
Earlier, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced, "Secretary Blinken emphasized that progress on human rights issues has strengthened bilateral relations."
Human rights issues are sensitive matters in the relationship between the two countries. After Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi intelligence agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018, relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia rapidly cooled.
At that time, the U.S. government concluded that Crown Prince bin Salman had ordered the incident. In July last year, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince bin Salman to raise the issue. However, Mohammed bin Salman responded, "Personally, I am not responsible."
On this day, Secretary Blinken and Crown Prince bin Salman reportedly held talks for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The two discussed normalization of relations with Israel, conflicts in Yemen and Sudan, and the Iranian nuclear issue.
An anonymous U.S. official said, "The two exchanged views at a considerable level," adding, "While the likelihood of quick progress on the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is low, both sides agreed to continue dialogue on this matter."
Initially, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, President Biden showed disagreements with Saudi Arabia not only over the Khashoggi murder case but also on international oil prices. This issue deepened conflicts between the two countries last year when oil prices surged due to the Ukraine war and other factors, and Saudi Arabia, as an oil-producing country, ignored U.S. demands to increase production.
However, as complex reasons such as oil price stabilization and countering China in the Middle East emerged, the U.S. has been making efforts to improve relations with Saudi Arabia again.
Secretary Blinken will attend the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meeting on the 7th and hold bilateral talks with the Saudi Foreign Minister on the 8th. Earlier, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited Saudi Arabia last month and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss specific agendas.
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