The 6 + 3 + 1 summit, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on July 15 and 16, will be the most devastating thunderbolt for those whom I call “moles,” as their day begins with uttering something abusive to Saudi Arabia as well as unleashing campaigns against it, and unjustifiably criticizing it. The summit is a ‘thunderbolt,’ striking their heads and their hateful hearts, because it is an unprecedented diplomatic initiative.
Saudi Arabia’s diplomacy has succeeded in making arrangements for the summit within a short span of time, after it was evident that the United States decided to align itself with the strategic partnership and historical relations between Riyadh and Washington, instead of listening to the dissonant voices that do not want to see the great role that Riyadh plays in the region and the world, not towards oil alone. Rather, it deals with all issues related to world security and stability.
Ferocious campaigns against Saudi Arabia have been escalating since the leak of information regarding the plan of the White House for US President Biden’s visit to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia. They are blind to the fact that among the real heavyweights in the region Saudi Arabia is the first, and that Saudi Arabia is the partner that the United States needs in finding solutions to the problems of the region and the world, as is the case with inflation that currently threatens countries, and the increasing rise in fuel prices.
In their bid to amplify the anti-Saudi campaigns, the opponents used their imaginations in attempts to build a barrier between Biden and the Saudi leadership, forgetting, out of hate, that the historical relations that the two countries had established in the mid 1940s were the accomplishment of an American Democratic president after his talks and contacts with King Abdul Aziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
They are fueling rumors and fabrications, taking advantage of some people’s ignorance of the depth of the strategic partnership between Riyadh and Washington that covered the entire gamut of combating global terrorism, ensuring the stability of the global economy by securing oil supplies to all countries, extending cooperation to combat climate change, and neutralizing Iran, which would be a threat to the world’s security if it succeeds in developing a nuclear weapon. These are the aspects that the White House presented in its statements on Tuesday, before Saudi Arabia spoke about its positions in this respect.
The Saudi diplomacy was very discreet as it followed the flow of rumors, abuse and fabrications about its relationship with its ally. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs contented itself with insisting that the bilateral relations are excellent, not as the haters claim.
In the midst of their efforts to attack Saudi Arabia, these “moles” forgot that Saudi Arabia is the master of its decision, from the smallest internal affair to the most complex international and regional issues. Even if it disagrees with its ally the United States, it is not difficult for Riyadh to act in accordance with its interests and sovereignty. Perhaps the most famous incident was the decision to ban the export of Saudi oil to the United States during the 1973 war between the Arabs and Israel.
Most importantly, the Saudi-American relations, when they were established in 1945, were not based on personal or individual basis. Rather, it was founded on the common interests of both the parties. These are interests that no strangers, who have nothing to do with them, can bid on defining them or adapting their nature. And this time, the scorching response came to them, hitting them with two big stones that came from the Saudi Royal Court and the White House at the same time.
Instead of their expectations, which were confined to a Saudi-American summit, the two capitals announced that President Biden would meet with the Saudi leadership, represented by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. He will also join the summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in the presence of the three Arab leaders invited by King Salman to Riyadh. They are the Egyptian president, the Jordanian monarch, and the Iraqi prime minister. This will increase the luster of Riyadh, which is able to strengthen the Arab ranks and Arab-Arab consultations, at a time when the most dangerous challenges await the world and the region.
Saudi Arabia has never lost control over its decision, as well as its composure in determining its fateful choices. It never lost sight of the extent to which her interests are linked to the region and the world. And even in the terrible circumstances, it did not abandon its obligations towards the Arabs and Muslims.
It is certain that the moles only have to wait until the 6 + 3 + 1 summits gather in Riyadh in the middle of next month to see with their own eyes that Saudi Arabia means what it says; and does and then says, and nothing will affect its strategic thinking except to achieve its real interests and the interests of its closest and distant allies and brothers.
