SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well,
first of all, Foreign Minister Faisal, thank you. Thank you for your hospitality,
thank you for bringing all of our regional and global partners together here in Riyadh.
When President Biden traveled to Jeddah last summer, he affirmed the importance
of the Middle East to the long-term security and economic interests of the United States.
And he made clear that we’re committed to continuing and deepening our partnerships
in the region. Together, we can drive real progress for all our people, not only to address
the challenges or crises of the moment, but to chart an affirmative vision for our shared future.
Over the last few days, we have advanced that progress on several fronts,
working with our Saudi partners, working with the Gulf Cooperation Council, working today with the
Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The foreign minister and I just
finished a productive meeting of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS.
The United States very much appreciates the leadership of Saudi Arabia not only in hosting
this meeting, but for its contributions – constant contributions and crucial contributions – day-in,
day-out to our mission. While our coalition has taken back the territory that ISIS once controlled
and inflicted severe losses on its leadership, ISIS nonetheless remains an active threat.
This ministerial that we just had focused on several key areas of need. Those include
stabilizing areas liberated from ISIS so that the group can’t exploit poor security, economic,
or humanitarian conditions that leave people desperate; and also, as you heard from the
foreign minister, repatriating foreign terrorist fighters and their families from al-Hol and other
displaced persons camps. We’re also working to keep pace with evolving threats, including ISIS’s
expanding efforts across sub-Saharan Africa and ISIS-Khorasan. Our 86-member coalition leaves
this ministerial better focused and equipped to continue the mission to eradicate ISIS.
The United States and Saudi Arabia, both as bilateral partners and through the GCC,
are working closely together to address several other challenges in the region.
In Yemen, when President Biden took office, war was raging. The
country was experiencing the arguably the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Now we’re working intensively with Saudi Arabia and other partners to further consolidate what
has been a 14-month long truce that we helped to achieve. This was a central
issue in my discussions with the Saudi crown prince and the foreign minister, and today I
had an opportunity as well to meet with Yemen’s President al-Alimi to discuss the path forward.
Our objectives are a durable ceasefire and an inclusive, Yemeni-led process mediated
by the UN – one that meets Yemenis’ calls for justice, for accountability,
for redress for abuses, and ultimately leads to a political resolution of differences in Yemen.
Our Special Envoy Tim Lenderking will continue to work with the parties and partners in the
region in the days and weeks ahead to resolve issues standing in the way of a lasting peace.
The United States and Saudi Arabia, together with the GCC, are also focused on Iran’s destabilizing
influence in the region, including its support for terrorism and violent militia
groups, the seizure of tankers transiting international waters, and nuclear escalation.
The United States continues to believe that diplomacy, backed by economic pressure,
by deterrence, and by strong defense cooperation, is the best way to avoid counter these dangerous
actions. We support efforts by Saudi Arabia to de-escalate tension and stabilize relations.
The United States and our Gulf partners are working closely on the crisis in Sudan. Our two
countries – the United States and Saudi Arabia – have been leading an intensive diplomatic campaign
to get the two sides to agree to and comply with a ceasefire and to allow humanitarian
assistance to reach the people of Sudan. We will keep working toward a durable cessation
of hostilities and the swift formation of a civilian-led transitional government
together with our partners in the Gulf and Africa and with the United Nations.
I also discussed with GCC partners increasing our joint efforts to combat illicit synthetic drugs
like Captagon, which is having a devastating impact on young people throughout this region,
just as fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are doing the same in the United States.
This partnership will be an important part of our diplomacy to strengthen global
cooperation on the growing challenge posed by illicit synthetic drugs.
Alongside my GCC and D-ISIS engagements, I also met with the Ethiopian Deputy
Prime Minister Mekonnen to review the ongoing implementation of the November 2 Cessation of
Hostilities Agreement. That agreement ended the horrific crisis in Tigray.
For peace to endure, the parties must acknowledge the atrocities committed and pursue accountability
together with reconciliation. The United States will continue to partner with Ethiopia as it
builds a credible transitional justice process to break the cycle of ethnic and political
violence that has gripped Ethiopia and prevented it from reaching its potential for far too long.
The U.S. partnership with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf extends far beyond addressing challenges
and crises in the region. It is critical for expanding opportunity and driving progress
for our people and for people around the world. Through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure
and Investment, the United States and Saudi Arabia are working together to deliver quality,
sustainable infrastructure to benefit people in low and middle-income countries.
We’re expanding digital connectivity, including by using new mobile telecommunications
technology like open, cloud-based radio access networks that are both secure and affordable.
We’re combating the climate crisis and accelerating the region’s clean energy transition
through our bilateral Partnership Framework for Advancing Clean Energy that we signed
last summer and that can unlock new solar, green hydrogen, and other renewable energy investments.
A key part of our strategy to advance a more prosperous, stable,
and secure region is regional integration and de-escalation. The Gulf is more connected then
ever – both as a region and with countries in the broader Middle East, including Israel. The
United States will continue to play an integral role in deepening and expanding normalization.
As President Biden said in Jeddah, universal rights and freedoms – and the protections they
bring – are a core priority for the United States. And the U.S.-Saudi partnership can
be deepened by progress on human rights. That’s why we strongly welcome and support historic steps
to increase women’s participation in public life in the workforce, to expand interfaith tolerance,
among other reforms in the country’s ambitious modernization agenda. And
that’s why we’ll continue to keep human rights firmly fixed on our bilateral agenda – a
point I made clear in our meetings this week. Last week, U.S. and Saudi astronauts returned
to Earth after spending ten days together on a mission to the International Space Station.
That mission included Rayyanah Barnawi, the first female Arab astronaut to ever go to space.
In her first message from space, Rayyanah predicted that “the future is very bright.” To
that, I say: let’s make it so, together. Thank you.