“The OPEC+ decision was purely economic and was taken unanimously by the [organization’s] member states,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Al Arabiya.
Saudi Arabia’s ties with the US are strategic and have supported the security and stability of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Al Arabiya, defending the recent decision by OPEC+ to cut oil output.
Prince Faisal’s comments came shortly after Biden administration officials repeatedly said that Washington needed to review its relationship with Saudi Arabia after last week’s decision by OPEC+.
“Our relationship with the United States has been institutionalized since it was established,” Prince Faisal said.
US officials have publicly hit out at Saudi Arabia following the OPEC+ move, with several American lawmakers calling for an immediate freeze on arms sales to Riyadh. On this, Prince Faisal said that the US-Saudi military cooperation served the interests of both countries.
Last week, OPEC+ agreed to decrease their output target by 2 million barrels daily.
Addressing the OPEC+ decision, Prince Faisal denied it was a political move. “The OPEC+ decision was purely economic and was taken unanimously by the [organization’s] member states.”
“OPEC+ members acted responsibly and took the appropriate decision,” he added.
Regarding the Yemen crisis, the foreign minister said that the Arab Coalition and the Yemeni government were both “keen” on extending the truce, Al Arabiya reported.
He added that efforts to extend the truce were “still in place.”
Yemen’s warring parties failed to renew a UN-brokered truce deal that expired on October 2, dashing the hopes of some Yemenis for a broader pact that would ease economic woes and prolong relative calm after more than seven years of fighting.
United Nations special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg said he would continue to push for an extended and expanded deal between the Arab Coalition and the Houthis.
Source: Al Arabiya
