US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington will continue to play a key role in promoting normalization with Israel in the region, while Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan stressed that normalization without peace with the Palestinians would be of limited benefit.

This came at a joint press conference for the two ministers at the end of a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh between the foreign ministers of the Gulf countries and the US Secretary of State.

Blinken said Washington was working to integrate Israel into the Middle East, deepening and expanding existing agreements.

However, the Saudi foreign minister commented that "without peace with the Palestinians, any normalization with Israel will be of limited benefit."

Counter-terrorism

In the context of the fight against terrorism, the two sides agreed on the need to continue cutting off ISIS's sources of funding, and Faisal bin Farhan stressed that the Kingdom is making great efforts to combat the organization's financing.

But he said it was "unfortunate that there are developed countries that still refuse to receive their citizens from al-Hol camp" (located in the countryside of al-Hasakah province in northeastern Syria), adding that "there are large countries that still refuse to receive their citizens from ISIS members."

The Saudi minister also stressed the agreement on the need to provide the appropriate environment for the return of refugees to Syria and Iraq.

In the same context, Blinken stressed that the group has suffered heavy losses, but it still poses a threat and moves to other areas, and stressed the need to focus on areas where the group can be active, "especially Africa."

Iran and Sudan

As for Iran and its nuclear program, the US secretary of state said they were coordinating with countries in the region to counter Iran's "destabilizing behavior."

In turn, the Saudi foreign minister revealed that his country is developing its domestic nuclear program, and said that Washington and other countries want to participate in the development of this program.

On Sudan, the Saudi foreign minister appealed to the parties to the conflict to work to "address the crisis through dialogue and not through weapons," while the US secretary of state praised Riyadh-led efforts to stabilize Sudan.

Meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh between Gulf foreign ministers and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Reuters)

De-escalation

A joint Gulf-US statement stressed the importance of joint efforts to work to reduce escalation in the region, praising at the same time the decision of Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations.

The statement was issued at the end of a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh between the foreign ministers of the Gulf countries and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The US-Gulf statement renewed support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and renewed Iran's call for full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

On the Syrian issue, the statement affirmed the commitment to reach a political solution to the crisis in a way that preserves Syria's unity and sovereignty.

On Sudan, the US-Gulf statement said there was no military solution to end the Sudanese conflict.

As for the Yemeni issue, the statement referred to support for Yemen's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.