Saudi Arabia is not the same as it was 5 or 10 years ago, says Princess Reema
- 26 Oct 2022
Gulf Today Report
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America, Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, said that the dispute between the Kingdom and the United States is “not political, but rather economic,” and that “reviewing the relationship between the two countries is positive,” stressing at the same time that Saudi Arabia “is not the kingdom that It was there 5 years ago, not the kingdom it was 10 years ago.”
Princess Reema said in an interview with CNN, "It is clear that we have reached a point of contention (with Washington), and many people have tried to politicize this... It is not political, but rather purely economic, based on 40 or 50 years of experience setting trends."
"We don't get involved in anyone's politics," she added. We are simply participating as a balance and stabilising factor for the economy through the energy market as we have historically done.”
When asked whether the kingdom is biased towards Russia, Princess Reema replied, “Saudi Arabia has a policy of dealing with everyone in all fields, those with whom we agree and those with whom we do not,” stressing that “the relationship that we have with Russia is what allowed us to release prisoners of war.
She explained, “We look at our role as mediator and interlocutor, we have supported Ukraine humanitarianly and gave it more than $400 million. We also cooperated with Ukraine and Poland to provide $10 million to allow refugees who were leaving Ukraine and moving to Poland safe access,” she said, stressing that “this is what we are doing. This is the value of our participation.
“Is this bias towards Russia? No."
Regarding Saudi Arabia's relationship with the United States, Princess Reema indicated that "the world cannot do without a relationship with the United States of America. Don't be suspicious of it. The United States has been our strategic ally for 80 years, it has been our partner for 80 years.”
She added, "I hear a lot of people talking about reforming or reviewing the relationship with the kingdom, and I actually think this is a positive thing," stressing that "this kingdom is not the kingdom it was 5 years ago, it's not the kingdom it was 10 years ago."
