Saudi Arabia, US working on ‘history making agreement:’ US ambassador in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia and the United States are working closely on a series of agreements including strengthening US-Saudi strategic partnerships and military agreements, bolstering economic ties and normalization of relations between the Kingdom and Israel leading to a credible pathway for an independent Palestinian state.

“While we came very close and are very close on very important elements of this agreement, it is important that we finalize all of it together, and with that we would have a history making agreement between the US and Saudi,” Michael Ratney, the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said in an interview with Saudi pan-Arab publication Asharq Al-Awsat.

While Ratney did not mention a specific timeframe on finalizing the package of agreements, he said for Washington and Riyadh, “we wish we could do it tomorrow.”

“We are in a complicated region and there are a lot of complexities to the agreement itself, but we will do it as quickly as possible,” the US ambassador said.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had a series of meetings in May with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding an almost “finalized” draft of a deal between Washington and Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported at the time.

Improved defense ties

Earlier this month, the US reaffirmed its decision to resume offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia as a result of improved ties especially with Saudi diplomatic efforts to prevent the war in Yemen and maintain a truce.

Al Arabiya English previously reported on the move to resume weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, citing sources familiar with the matter, which will include “significant” arms.
“Saudi Arabia remains a critical security partner for the United States, particularly at a time of high regional instability,” a senior administration official said in a statement to Al Arabiya English.

The US policy change comes as Washington and Riyadh work to expand their strategic partnership in reflection of changing circumstances in the region.

“Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in a diplomatic effort to stop the war in Yemen and maintain a calm and mitigation of civilian harm if there were a military conflict again,” Ratney said.

“The circumstances have changed; the partnership has grown and with that naturally comes changes in our own approach.”

The US ambassador also highlighted Washington’s commitment to security in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East as the threat of the Israel-Hamas war spilling into a wider regional conflict looms with a sharp rise in Houthi attacks since the war began in October last year.

He said the US is committed to keeping the presence of its navy and military in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea to deter any Houthi attacks.

“We do this because freedom of navigation is this part of the world is profoundly important and our commitment to the security of Saudi Arabia and this entire region is paramount,” Ratney said.

‘Same end goal’

According to Ratney, the US and Saudi Arabia share the same end goal of creating a two-state solution that enables an independent Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel.

He said: “We fundamentally believe that Palestinian statehood needs to come through a political process, through negotiations between the parties, not from through any other means.”

“In the meantime, the deep priority is to stop the violence in Gaza, to stop the misery of the people of Gaza, to move forward with our efforts toward a ceasefire, to release Israeli hostages, and to end this conflict to find ways to deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance in Gaza,” he added.

US-Saudi economic ties

The transformation of Saudi Arabia’s economy in the recent years has created unique opportunities for US businesses to invest in the Kingdom to strengthen economic ties.

“We are now working with the Saudi government and Saudi companies in areas that we would not have imagined in the past, for example, space exploration for commercial purposes,” the US ambassador said. “The Kingdom has huge ambitions in the commercial space, and we as companies want to be there with them.”

The economic partnership between the US and Saudi Arabia – which started through oil – now looks beyond fossil fuels, according to Ratney, who highlighted the Kingdom’s heavy investment in various non-oil sectors.

“Along with healthcare, infrastructure, advanced technology, and artificial intelligence, there are tremendous opportunities as the Saudi economy grows and diversifies, and new US companies are brought in.”