Adviser to the US State Department, Derek Chollet, confirmed, on Friday, in an interview with Al-Hurra TV, that “the United States has long relations with Saudi Arabia that exceed 8 decades, and they are still partners,” noting that “there are differences” that are being talked about in a “clear and frank” way. .
Cholet, who heads the US delegation to the Negev Forum meetings in Abu Dhabi, explained that this relationship was marred by “some differences, as happened in the seventies when the oil export embargo occurred, which was imposed by Saudi Arabia after the 1973 war with Israel,” but Washington has “a strong economic partnership with Riyadh” in several fields, including “energy”.
He recalled some of the historical milestones between the two countries, such as “the deployment of the United States of its forces in order to remove the Iraqi forces from Kuwait, or the attacks of the eleventh of September,” stressing that the administration of US President Joe Biden is committed to “its security partnership with Saudi Arabia… to deter Iranian attacks in the region.” “.
On the moves of some countries in the Middle East to normalize relations with Syria, Cholet renewed Washington’s position “rejecting any efforts to normalize relations with the Syrian regime, especially since during the past 12 years the regime in Damascus has continued to commit atrocities against the Syrian people, and the United States will not normalize relations with Syria.” “.
In early January, the United States called on all countries of the world not to normalize their relations with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the “brutal dictator.”
Foreign Affairs Adviser Cholet commented on the visit of the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, to Israel and the Palestinian Territories as “very important, because it allowed communication with the new government in Israel, in which the two sides reaffirmed joint commitments not to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and the files of bilateral relations.” and the search for integration in the region.
In 2020, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco signed agreements to normalize relations with Israel.
Cholet described the meetings taking place at the Negev Forum as “very successful, as American meetings were held with Israeli, Bahraini, Emirati, Moroccan and Egyptian officials,” where they discussed files related to “water, food and energy security in the region.”
About 150 officials from Israel, Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco met, with the presence of the United States, as part of the first meeting of the Negev Forum working groups, which was held in Abu Dhabi.
He was absent from the meetings of the Negev Forum of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and representatives of the Palestinian territories. Cholet explained that “these meetings are considered the first for the Negev Forum, and he looks forward to other countries joining the meetings to participate in the active dialogue to reach practical results and projects that improve the lives of citizens in the region.
