Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, officially met with Egyptian, Jordanian and Turkish leaders this week. According to analysts, his goal is to unify their position on security issues, including growing concerns about Iran.
According to analysts, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine continue to be hit hard, so strengthening economic cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations with oil-producing Saudi Arabia are also part of the visit. It was a club.
According to analysts, this week's visit to the region by Binsalman has been recognized worldwide and has been international for many years after the killing and dismantling of Saudi Arabian critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018. It shows his desire for the end of isolation. The prince denied his personal involvement. US President Joe Biden named Saudi Arabia "Paria" during the campaign, but the two countries are historic allies.
Jordanian analyst Amel Al Sabaile tells VOA that Russia's Ukrainian war has pushed up oil prices and caused food shortages around the world, while in Saudi Arabia "involvement with the U.S. government." It brought about a change in the rules of Ukraine. " Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and the cornerstone of the strategic politics of the Middle East.
Washington-based Stimson Center non-resident fellow Al Sabaile, Biden attended the Summit in Jeddah on July 16 with the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan. Said that the leaders of the group had gathered. , Egypt and Iraq, as Binsalman is known, give MBS "a kind of credit" and the ability to help set regional agendas, especially in Iran and Israel. Saudi Arabia is one of the GCC members.
"It is clear that he wants to pave the way for a presence in the region and confront Iran with this old problem of Sunni [axis], which is the danger of Iran." Said Arsabaile. "Then he has another important card that he wants to play politically. It's a relationship with Israel. If the Abraham agreement has Emiratis and Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, then nothing. Sunni world. Without Saudi Arabia on behalf of, it would not work. "
The United States will mediate the Abraham Agreement in 2020, diplomatically and between Israel and the Gulf countries of the Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Normalized the economic relationship. Unlike Egypt and Jordan, which signed peace treaties with Jewish states in 1979 and 1994, neither country had a war with Israel.
Jordanian political commentator Osama Al-Sharif told VOA, if Jordan meant preparing an "anti-Iranian alliance" for Sunni Islamic states, "a little worried about the summit agenda. I have. " Moderate stance. Jordan, a major ally of the United States, is also a long-time defender of the two-state solution to end the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
In a joint statement Wednesday after Bin Salman's visit to King Abdullah of Jordan, the two leaders stopped Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and curbed Iran's "stabilization". He emphasized support for international efforts to do so. Lebanon, Syria, Yemen.
As a producer of oil swings with funds to invest, Al-Sharif says Binsalman is using Saudi Arabian funds to fund projects in Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. And the war in Ukraine.
"Economically, Saudi Arabia is a very important supporter of Jordan and the largest investor in the country with an investment of about $ 10 to $ 13 billion," said Al Sharif. Says. "The $ 3 billion fund is very active and has signed a memorandum of understanding on investment in Jordan's railway systems, start-ups and new businesses. In Cairo, they have signed a $ 7.7 billion transaction.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have signed energy, security and economic agreements, including plans for Saudi Arabian funds to enter the Turkish capital market. Turkey has experienced the worst economic crisis in 20 years.
Some analysts will play a bigger role in Washington's role in protecting Arab countries and working with Israel to combat the ongoing threat posed by Iran. I believe it may encourage you. However, Khaled Shneikat, head of the Jordanian Political Science Association, told an online Middle East Eye publication that "regional countries will demand a greater security role for the United States." .. At the summit.