ALBAWABA - Saudi Arabia and the United States maybe trying to patch things up after the strain in relations following oil production cuts in bid to keep up prices. They are saying the strain is but a 'storm in a tea cup'.
Many reports however, continue to linger on the issue that is seen as direct Saudi swipe at Washington and oil producers who are allegedly siding with Russians in their OPEC + meetings.
Saudi Arabia decided to be the "maturer guys" in a spat with the United States over oil supplies, the kingdom's energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday.https://t.co/bFcs5NTT52
— The Financial Express (@febdonline) October 26, 2022
However two reports suggest Riyadh wants to ease relations with its important western ally. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday called the United States a “major ally” to the kingdom, saying the two countries will overcome their recent tensions as reported in Anadolu.
“In the long term we’re solid allies,” Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih told an economic conference in Riyadh. “We’re close and we’re going to get over this recent spat that I think was unwarranted and it was a misunderstanding, hopefully,” he was quoted by the Turkish-based news agency as saying.
The United States and Saudi Arabia will overcome the recent rift in relations created by the OPEC+ group’s decision to reduce its oil production target by the most since 2020, according to Saudi Arabia’s Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih. “If you look … https://t.co/LU4RtWHkC1
— goldsheet (@goldsheet) October 25, 2022
Tensions spiked when on 5 October and in a major OPEC+ venue voted to slash oil output by about 2 million barrels per day, something which led US President Joe Biden to vocally criticize the Saudi decision, warning of impending consequences, but without specifying the nature of his response.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US affirms to CNN that, although Riyadh’s relationship with Washington is at a “point of disagreement” in light of OPEC+’s decision to slash oil production, the ties between the two longtime allies remain strong https://t.co/wRF6npHKgx
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 25, 2022
Meanwhile, the Saudi Ambassador in Washington Princess Reema Bint Bandar welcomed a US review of the relationship between the two countries according to the Saudi Gazette. She is quoted as rejecting the accusation that the Kingdom is siding with Russia in its war with Ukraine, saying it engages with “everybody across the board, those we agree with and those we disagree with.”
The Saudi daily reported on Princess Reema with CNN’s Becky Anderson: “It’s ok to disagree. Our relationship is more than the sale of arms and it is more than the exchange of oil,” she said, adding “the Kingdom is not what it used to be five years ago.”
The White House hasn't given any timeline for completing a policy review on Saudi Arabia. Khalid al-Falih, Saudi's Investment Minister said at a forum in Riyadh that his country and US will get over their "unwarranted" spat.
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) October 26, 2022
The princess who has been in the job as Saudi ambassador since 2019 said: “I deal very regularly with the administration, and frankly, it’s an administration that I have profound respect for. I have only had the most gracious and direct communication, as we should. That’s how partners communicate with each other,” she clarified and as reported by the Gazette.
At the same time she affirmed that the ties between the two longtime allies remain strong despite Riyadh’s relationship with Washington being at a “point of disagreement” in light of the decision of OPEC+ to cut oil production.
