Bipartisan US Efforts to Strengthen Relations with Saudi Arabia

 Saudi Crown Prince meets with US Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince meets with US Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina (SPA)
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Bipartisan US Efforts to Strengthen Relations with Saudi Arabia

 Saudi Crown Prince meets with US Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince meets with US Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina (SPA)

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently phoned Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while senior Republican senator Lindsey Graham visited him, highlighting a growing bipartisan interest in strengthening the historical ties between the US and the Kingdom.

Recent interactions between senior Saudi leaders and both Democratic and Republican officials drew attention to efforts by President Joe Biden’s administration, senior members of Congress, and various federal agencies to restore strategic interests between the two countries.

The 80-year-old friendship between the nations has been marked by coordination across political, economic, and military realms, as well as cooperation on global and regional issues such as the war in Ukraine, addressing climate change, and ensuring sustainable energy supplies.

Bipartisan communications are bringing things back to normal after brief periods of tension, which are often caused by domestic political tensions in the US rather than strains between the two friendly nations.

Visits by senior US officials to Saudi Arabia, particularly those involved in Middle East and Gulf affairs, such as Special US Envoy for Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, and Special US Envoy to Yemen Timothy Lenderking, aimed to coordinate with the Saudi leadership and cooperate with them in ending the war in Yemen and addressing the crisis in Syria, as well as arranging the situation in other countries such as Lebanon, Libya, and Sudan, and establishing a new security system to ensure that Iran does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Senator Graham’s visit to the Kingdom coincided with the US welcoming and supporting Saudi efforts to end the Yemeni crisis.

After the meeting Tuesday, Graham also said he looks forward to “working with the administration and congressional Republicans and Democrats to see if we can take the US-Saudi relationship to the next level.”

He added that he thanked Mohammed for Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 121 Boeing 787s aircrafts— which are made in South Carolina — for the new Saudi airline.”

“Investments like this are game changers,” said Graham.

“I just had a very productive, candid meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince and his senior leadership team,” he tweeted on Tuesday, adding that the “opportunity to enhance the US-Saudi relationship is real.”

According to the White House, Sullivan spoke with the Crown Prince about several global and regional matters, as well as ongoing diplomacy related to ending the war in Yemen.

Sullivan highlighted remarkable progress in Yemen over the past year, during which fighting has nearly ceased under a UN-mediated truce.

He welcomed Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary efforts to pursue a more comprehensive roadmap for ending the war and offered full US support for those efforts, noting that Special Envoy Lenderking will be in the region over the coming days.



Saudi Govt Condemns Israel for Resuming Strikes on Gaza

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)
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Saudi Govt Condemns Israel for Resuming Strikes on Gaza

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)

The Saudi government condemned on Tuesday Israel for resuming its attacks on Gaza.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah.

The cabinet emphasized the international community's responsibility to intervene urgently to stop the Israeli crimes in Gaza and end the humanitarian crisis faced by the brotherly Palestinian people.

Crown Prince Mohammed briefed the ministers on the telephone talks he held with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The cabinet reviewed the latest developments in the Arab, regional, and international arenas, reiterating the Kingdom's steadfast positions on these issues and its support for efforts promoting regional and global security and stability.

Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the Cabinet welcomed the conclusion of peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the signing of a border demarcation agreement between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The cabinet commended the launch of the Saudi Architecture Characters Map, which highlights 19 architectural styles that represent the Kingdom's geographical, natural, and cultural traits. The initiative will help in the preservation of urban heritage, the enhancement of quality of life, and the development of urban landscapes.

The cabinet discussed strategies to boost development and service projects and reinforce the social welfare and protection system in order to accelerate progress, harness potential, and achieve the nation's ambitions.

It also reviewed indicators of the national economy's performance and the Kingdom's credit rating upgrades by international agencies, underscoring the continued implementation of structural reforms and the creation of an environment conducive to unprecedented economic transformation and diversification, in line with the goals of Vision 2030.

Moreover, the cabinet expressed hailed the proactive security monitoring and response to drug smuggling networks, carried out in partnership with brotherly and friendly countries. He specifically praised the Iraqi Ministry of Interior for intercepting an attempt to smuggle 7 million amphetamine pills, acting on information provided by the Saudi Ministry of Interior.