By Al-Fassel | 2024-02-13

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit this month to Saudi Arabia underscores the decades of close relations the two nations have had even during challenging times.

Blinken landed in Saudi Arabia on February 5 as the first stop in a regional tour aimed at reducing regional tensions and increasing urgently needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, among other priorities.

He met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.

Blinken and the crown prince discussed "regional coordination to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza that provides lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

They spoke of "the urgent need to reduce regional tensions, including a cessation of Houthi attacks undermining both freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and progress on the Yemen peace process," Miller said.

They also discussed "the importance of building a more integrated and prosperous region and reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia."

Blinken and other US officials have been in Saudi Arabia a number of times in recent months in a bid to achieve diplomatic breakthroughs on the most challenging issues of the day.

Over 80 years of partnership

For over 80 years, the United States and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a strong relationship based upon mutual respect and common interests.

In the past four years, the United States has completed new diplomatic facilities in Jeddah and Dhahran, and on December 12 the US diplomatic presence in Saudi Arabia broke ground on a new embassy in Riyadh.

"These projects represent the physical foundation of the strong and lasting US-Saudi relationship and our investment in that relationship for the decades to come," the US State Department said.

That relationship is built on the common interests of preserving the stability, security and prosperity of the region.

"Saudi Arabia plays an important role in working toward a peaceful and prosperous future for the region and is a strong partner in security and counterterrorism efforts and in military, diplomatic and financial cooperation," the State Department said.

Saudi and US military and law enforcement bodies work closely together to safeguard both countries' national security interests.

The two nations also have longstanding and robust economic, cultural and educational ties.

The United States closely cooperates with Saudi Arabia to advance its ambitious agenda to diversify away from oil and create jobs for young Saudis.

An estimated 700,000 Saudi students have graduated from US universities over the past five decades.

"People-to-people educational, professional, cultural, and sports exchanges ... also contribute to these close ties," the State Department said.

Seeking opportunities for peace

With the region facing several challenges, Blinken's recent visits to Saudi Arabia are particularly important, said Abdullah al-Dakhil, a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science at King Saud University in Riyadh.

The priorities of the US government are in line with the goals of Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, he said, "namely to find an opportunity for [regional] peace in any possible way and move away from the logic of war."

This unity between the United States and its Arab allies is helping to keep Iran in check, despite repeated attacks by the armed affiliates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Yemen and Iraq, al-Dakhil said.

Blinken kicking off his latest visit to the region in Saudi Arabia "underscores the US-Saudi relationship and the extent of its strength," he said. "The United States has and continues to consider Saudi Arabia to be the strongest strategic ally in the region and the key to the closed political and diplomatic doors."

The two sides "are not only looking to end the current crisis in Gaza but are rather seeking a lasting peace with the participation of all parties without exception," he said.

Despite the complexity of the issue, al-Dakhil said, this is possible.

"The two sides also consider comprehensive peace to be the magic word in the region, and the strategic partnership between the two countries is the key [to achieve that]," he added.