Common problems between Blinken and its Saudi counterpart

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan a number of common problems, in particular the human rights record in the Kingdom.

Ministry spokesman Ned Price said the two sides discussed the importance of Saudi progress in the field of human rights, including judicial and legal reforms, as well as joint efforts to strengthen Saudi defenses, according to the State Department. from the United States.

Price clarified that the Secretary of State reiterated his commitment to cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia to end the war in Yemen, the coordination of regional security and the fight against terrorism, in addition to economic development.

This comes alongside a security report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the United States intends to release soon. Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote for the Washington Post, was assassinated in 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The US spokeswoman previously described Khashoggi’s murder as a “horrible crime,” while White House spokeswoman Jane Saki said the United States is discussing a series of measures against Riyadh in the context of this case.

Saki confirmed that US President Joe Biden will make a phone call to the Saudi monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, very soon. A US administration official told Al-Hurra that the release of the report of Khashoggi’s murder could be postponed until Friday.