Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Princess Rima bint Bandar Al Saud, said it is clear that relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States are “at a point of contention, “but the decline in US arms sales could leave Americans living in the kingdom unprotected from Houthi threats, he said.
“Defending this nation is defending the world. It is defending the global economy,” Princess Reema bint Bandar said in an interview with CNN reporter Becky Anderson.
Princess Reema explained: “This is what is at stake. And this concerns Washington, DC, 80,000 Americans living and working in Saudi Arabia. When a missile is fired from Yemen, that missile does not turn left or right, because it is American”.
Speaking from Riyadh, the ambassador reiterated that OPEC + ‘s decision to cut oil production was “apolitical”. The decision sparked bipartisan anger in Washington directed at the Saudi-led OPEC Plus group, with the White House saying it would reconsider its relationship with the kingdom.
The ambassador said Saudi Arabia and the United States “disagree” in the past, but the kingdom is not standing with Russia in its war on Ukraine.
“It is the relationship we have with Russia that has allowed us to release prisoners of war, we have supported Ukraine in a humanitarian way, we have donated more than 400 million dollars and we have collaborated with Ukraine and Poland to give 10 million to enable the refugees from Ukraine to Poland, “he added.
He asked: “Are you with Russia? No, we have voted twice with the United Nations to condemn the annexation and condemn the invasion. “
In 2019, Princess Reema replaced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s younger brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, as the United States ambassador, becoming the kingdom’s first female ambassador. Her appointment to calm relations with the United States came after much criticism of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Turkey.
Princess Rima Bint Bandar, a member of the Saudi royal family, was an advocate for women’s rights in the kingdom. Her father, Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, was the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States and lived in Washington from 1975 to 2005.
Princess Reema said: “This OPEC debate is today, because the world is tense. But it’s not a conversation about the future.”
