RIYADH — The United States remains committed to its Gulf Arab partners at a time when regional alliances are rapidly changing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Gulf diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Blinken was speaking at a GCC ministerial meeting in Riyadh after speaking with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhane.

“The United States is here in this region to say that it remains keen to partner with all of you,” Blinken said at the opening of the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting on strategic partnership.

“The Gulf Cooperation Council is central to our vision of a more stable, secure and prosperous Middle East,” he said.

Key regional issues, including conflicts, were on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting in Yemen, Sudan, Syria and the Palestinian territories. “Together we are working to resolve the conflict in Yemen and we continue to fight Iran’s destabilizing behavior, including tanker seizures in international waters,” Blinken told Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministers.

“We are determined to find something A political solution in Syria that maintains its unity and sovereignty and is responsive to the aspirations of its people,” he added.

meetings at the top

Just before the meeting, Blinken spoke privately with Prince Faisal. The two men “determined to continue working together to counter terrorism, support efforts to bring about a lasting peace in Yemen, and promote stability, security, de-escalation and integration in the region,” the US State Department official said. “They have pledged to continue their strong collaboration to put an end to this Fighting in Sudan.”

Earlier, after arriving in Jeddah on Tuesday at the start of his three-day visit, Blinken met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Their meeting, which lasted almost two hours, touched on issues such as Saudi Arabia’s support for US evacuations from Sudan and the need for political dialogue in Yemen.

The two men discussed “our common priorities, including fighting terrorism through the global coalition against Daesh, building peace in Yemen, and deepening economic and scientific cooperation,” Blinken said.

This text is a translation of an article published on Arabnews.com