US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at talks with Arab officials held in Riyadh, spoke in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This was announced by the head of the press service of the US State Department, Matthew Miller.
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According to his information, Blinken had a collective meeting with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, as well as the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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“They spoke about the importance of maintaining expanded humanitarian aid supplies due to the desperate situation in Gaza. The Secretary of State reaffirmed United States support for efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region, including through [the creation of a full-fledged] Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel,” – Miller noted in a written statement.
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According to him, Blinken also spoke in favor of “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages from [the radical Palestinian movement] Hamas” and for “regional coordination [of actions] to prevent the conflict from escalating.”
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Along with this, Blinken spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
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“The Secretary of State emphasized the importance of maintaining expanded humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza, ensuring an immediate ceasefire in Gaza leading to the release of hostages, and preventing the conflict from escalating further,” Miller said.
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According to him, “the Secretary of State and the Crown Prince discussed ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the [Middle East] region, including through increased integration among countries in the region and deepening bilateral cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia.” Finally, the parties pointed to the “urgent need to ease regional tensions” and called on Yemen’s rebel Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement to stop its attacks, Miller added.
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Blinken arrived on April 29 in Saudi Arabia, which became the first stop of his Middle East tour. Then the chief of American diplomacy will visit Israel and Jordan, where he will discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.
