Saudi Arabia again defended the “purely economic” decision by oil-exporting countries to cut production, saying it was “stunned” by accusations of political collusion with Russia, especially by the powerful US partner.
On October 5, OPEC+, the 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) led by Saudi Arabia and its 10 partners led by Russia, decided to cut their production quotas to support falling crude prices.
A rise in prices would also help fill the coffers of Russia, which relies on hydrocarbon sales to finance its war in Ukraine, which it invaded in February.
Impact
The United States warned that there would be “consequences” of the OPEC + decision and criticized the Saudis for thus providing Russia with “economic support” but also “moral and military”.
“We are stunned by the accusations that the kingdom is siding with Russia in its war against Ukraine,” Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman wrote on Twitter late Sunday.
According to him, OPEC+’s decision “was made unanimously” and for “purely economic reasons.”
“Iran is also a member of OPEC, does that mean the kingdom is also on Iran’s side?” he joked. Tehran and Riyadh are the two great rivals in the Middle East.
King Salman himself defended his country’s “energy strategy” and its “central role” within OPEC+, during a speech on Sunday night, broadcast by the official media.
He stressed that it was about “supporting the stability and balance of global markets.”
strongest partner
Asked Monday on CNN, the spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington, Fahad Nazer, also stressed the economic nature of the cartel’s decision, dictated “strictly by market fundamentals.”
The Saudi diplomat stressed the importance of Saudi-American relations, recalling that the two countries had cooperated to repel the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and, more recently, in the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group.
“We certainly see the United States as our strongest partner. It has been for 80 years,” Fahad Nazer said. “And that is by far our most important strategic partnership,” he added.
US partners and close allies of Saudi Arabia in the Gulf, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates also defended OPEC+’s decision.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced Sunday on CNN that US President Joe Biden “has no intention” of meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. Saudi, at the G20 summit in November in Indonesia.
According to him, Biden wants to “reassess” relations with the Saudis “because they have sided with Russia against the interests of the American people.”
Source: BFM TV
