Jeddah: A joint statement (Jeddah Communiqué) was released on Friday evening between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. Here is the text of the Jeddah press release:
“Joint Communique between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America”
At the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, President Joseph R. Biden paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on July 15-16, 2022. Following the meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, President Biden and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud, Deputy Prime Minister, held an official meeting attended by senior officials from the two parts. Both sides reviewed in detail the many shared priorities that contribute to the partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Following the meeting, the two parties released this statement outlining the strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States over the coming decades with the aim of advancing their mutual interests and advancing a common vision for a more peaceful and secure world. , prosperous and stable in the Middle East.
Strategic partnership
The two sides reviewed the historic relationship and partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America that was established almost eight decades ago with the meeting between King Abdulaziz Al-Saud and President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the USS Quincy. They stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen their strategic partnership to serve the interests of the governments and peoples of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Both sides also underscored the pivotal role this historic partnership has played in promoting regional stability and prosperity. They stressed that the US-Saudi partnership has been a cornerstone of regional security for decades and affirmed that the two countries share a vision of a more secure, stable and prosperous region, interconnected with the world.
Both sides affirmed the importance of resolving international disputes through peaceful and diplomatic means and alleviating humanitarian crises through economic and financial support to countries in the region that need it most. They affirmed the importance of the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. They stressed the need to support governments in the region facing threats from terrorists or proxy groups backed by external powers.
Both sides noted the historical ties between the peoples of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. They welcomed, in this regard, the extension of the validity of business and tourist visas to 10 years to facilitate closer people-to-people ties and economic cooperation.
The two sides then reviewed cooperation and achievements in the following areas:
Energy security and climate cooperation
Both parties underlined the importance of strategic economic and investment cooperation, particularly in light of the current crisis in Ukraine and its aftermath, and reaffirmed their commitment to an energy market global stable. The United States welcomed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting global oil markets for sustained economic growth. The two parties agreed to consult regularly on global short- and long-term energy markets, as well as to work together as strategic partners in climate and energy transition initiatives, acknowledging the leading role of Saudi Arabia in the energy future.
The US side commended the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, and welcomed Saudi Arabia’s participation in the recent Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, the membership in the Global Methane Pledge, its status as a founding member of the Net-Zero Producers Forum. , and the announcement of the Kingdom to cover fifty percent of its electricity production from renewable energies by 2030.
Both parties welcomed the finalization of a partnership framework for the promotion of clean energy, with substantial investments in clean energy transition and the fight against climate change, with particular emphasis on renewable energies, clean hydrogen, human capacity building in the field of nuclear energy and cooperation in nuclear regulatory aspects, carbon use and sequestration, development of sustainable materials and other initiatives within the framework of the circular carbon economy, where Saudi Arabia aims to be a global leader.
Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investments (PGII)
Both sides stressed that the energy transition and national security of both countries require stable and diversified supply chains, and in this regard, the United States welcomed Saudi Arabia’s support for the Infrastructure Partnership and global investment, announced by President Biden at the G7. June 26, 2022 Summit. Through this historic partnership, the United States and Saudi Arabia aim to strategically invest in projects that support digital connectivity, supply chain sustainability, and climate and energy security, focused on low- and middle-income countries.
Security and Defense
President Biden has firmly affirmed the continued commitment of the United States to support Saudi Arabia’s security and territorial defense and to facilitate the Kingdom’s ability to obtain the necessary capabilities to defend its people and territory against external threats. .
Both sides stressed the need to further deter Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of other countries, its support for terrorism through its armed proxies and its efforts to destabilize the security and stability of the region. . The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States have stressed the importance of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Both sides stressed the importance of preserving the free flow of trade through strategic international waterways like the Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz. They welcomed the creation of Joint Task Force 153, which focuses on the Bab al-Mandab crossing of the Red Sea and further deterrence of illicit smuggling into Yemen. They also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s assumption of command of Combined Task Force 150, which enhances common maritime security objectives in the Gulf of Oman and the North Arabian Sea.
In order to improve and streamline the exchange of information in the maritime domain, the cooperation between the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the Combined Task Force 153 will be strengthened in the regional network coordination center directed from the headquarters of the fifth US fleet in Bahrain. The United States also highlighted the growing cooperation between the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and the U.S. Fifth Fleet’s Task Force 59, which leads a growing fleet of state-of-the-art integrated unmanned surface vessels using artificial intelligence to improve security. maritime and domain awareness in support of regional security. .