Days after Saudi Arabia announced an oil output cut of 1 million barrels per day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Tuesday, his first bilateral visit to the kingdom as the top diplomat.
A statement by the US State Department stated the two sides affirmed their shared commitment “to advance stability, security, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond, including through a comprehensive political agreement to achieve peace, prosperity, and security in Yemen.”
Though there was no explicit mention of talks regarding oil during the meeting, it is expected that Blinken may raise the issue later during his three-day trip.
Notably, in the lead-up to the meeting, Washington was asked to comment on the decision by the kingdom to slash oil production. At the time, Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel took a safe line and refrained from commenting anything substantial.
“We believe that supply should meet demand, and we’ll continue to work with all producers and consumers to ensure that energy markets support economic growth and lower prices for American families,” Patel said at a briefing. “That’s what we’re focusing on.”
“The Secretary also emphasised that our bilateral relationship is strengthened by progress on human rights. The Secretary and the Crown Prince discussed deepening economic cooperation, especially in the clean energy and technology fields,” the readout stated.
Step towards rapprochement?
Blinken’s visit is being dubbed as the latest step towards rapprochement between the two nations, especially after US President Joe Biden, during his campaign trail, promised to make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are” and “make them pay the price” for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
Khashoggi, a former royal insider-turned monarchy critic, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018, an operation allegedly ordered by the prince.
Even as the president, Biden did no favours to the bilateral relations when he met MBS last year and took a provocative stance.
“What happened to Khashoggi was outrageous… I just made it clear if anything occurs like that again they will get that response and much more,” said Biden.
“I was straightforward and direct in discussing it. I made my view crystal clear. I said very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am,” he added.
The US might also be wary of the growing might of China in the region, especially after Xi Jinping managed to broker the restoration of diplomatic ties between regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Even as Blinken was visiting, Iran reopened its embassy in Saudi for the first time in seven years. The embassy had been closed after a row over Saudi’s hanging of a Shia cleric.
(With inputs from agencies)
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