DAVOS: The long-standing strategic alliance between Saudi and US, according to the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States, is “beyond vitally necessary” for maintaining world peace.
The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in 2018, the Saudi-led coalition’s involvement in the Yemeni conflict, and more recently, the conflict in Ukraine and OPEC+ oil policy, have all strained the traditionally strong ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States under President Joe Biden’s administration.
At a session at the Globe Economic Forum in Davos, ambassador Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud said, “Yes, there was a period of tension and disagreement, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we are both strategic allies and friends, and this relationship is critical for the world.”
Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has resisted pressure from the United States to assist isolate Russia over Saudi Arabia’s energy strategy, which Saudi officials claim has been vindicated by the stability of the oil price.
Washington has also expressed alarm about the expanding trade relations between China and the Gulf Arab governments.
“Saudi Arabia Aims to Bridge Distance Between China and U.S. as Top Oil Exporter”
When asked on the same panel about the visit by the president of China to the kingdom in December, Saudi Arabia’s finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said that both China and the United States were crucial to the country.
The kingdom, which is the top oil exporter in the world, intends to “bridge the distance” between the two competing economic behemoths, he claimed.
President Xi Jinping advocated for oil trade in yuan while in Riyadh for a gathering of Gulf Arab leaders as Beijing strives to internationalise its currency and weaken the dominance of the U.S. dollar in global trade.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, Jadaan stated that Saudi Arabia was open to negotiations about how it pays its commerce, whether in dollars, euros, or the Saudi riyal, if doing so would enhance international trade.
During the panel, the Saudi envoy to Washington emphasised the value of the 80-year-old relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, saying that the two nations had “stood by each other where it counts and where it matters.”