Secretary of State Blinken holds talks with Saudi crown prince.

Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, held a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, during his second visit to the country as Secretary. The visit comes as tensions remain strained between the nations and a day after Saudi Arabia revealed that it would be the only OPEC+ member to cut production. In the past, President Biden pledged to avoid Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, last year he visited the country in an effort to combat rising oil and gas prices and was criticized for exchanging a fist bump with the Crown Prince.

Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesperson, stated that the meeting addressed joint efforts to combat terrorism, security in Yemen, and economic cooperation in clean energy and technology. Miller also reported that Blinken thanked bin Salman for hosting the D-ISIS Ministerial, evacuating hundreds of US citizens from Sudan, and collaborating to stop fighting in the country. “The two affirmed their shared commitment to advance stability, security, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond, including through a comprehensive political agreement to achieve peace, prosperity, and security in Yemen,” Miller wrote in the statement on Tuesday. “The Secretary also emphasized that our bilateral relationship is strengthened by progress on human rights,” he added. 

Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and will remain there until Thursday. On Wednesday, Blinken will attend the US-Gulf Corporation Council Ministerial “to discuss the growing cooperation with our GCC partners to promote security, stability, de-escalation, regional integration, and economic opportunities across the Middle East.” 

On Thursday, Blinken will address the continued threat of ISIS at a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and “reaffirm our commitment to ensure its enduring defeat.”