Riyadh disassociates the decision from the war in Ukraine and says that the US asked to “postpone a month” the measure
Oct. 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of Saudi Arabia has rejected the criticism against Riyadh for OPEC +’s decision to cut its crude oil production and has stressed that they “are not based on facts” and present the measure “on the sidelines in its economic context”.
“The decision was adopted unanimously by all OPEC+ member states,” he said in a statement, before stressing that “the results of the OPEC+ meetings are adopted through consensus between the member states and they are not based on unilateral decisions of a country”.
“The results are based purely on economic considerations that take into account maintaining a balance of supply and demand in the oil markets, as well as limiting volatility that does not benefit the interests of consumers and producers,” he explained.
In this sense, Riyadh has rejected criticism that describes its position as “a position in international conflicts” –in reference to the war in Ukraine– and “a politically motivated decision against the United States.”
“OPEC + makes its decisions independently and in line with independent practices established and followed by international organizations,” he noted, while confirming contacts with the United States before the decision for a possible postponement.
“The UK Government clarified during its ongoing consultations with the US Administration that all economic analyzes indicated that postponing the decision for a month, as suggested (by Washington), would have had negative economic consequences,” he argued.
For this reason, he stressed that “any attempt to distort the facts about Saudi Arabia’s position on the crisis in Ukraine is unfortunate and will not change the Kingdom’s principled position, including its vote in support of United Nations resolutions on the crisis between Russia and Ukraine”.
Thus, he has stated that Saudi Arabia “seeks to preserve the firmness of its relations with all friendly countries”, although it has rejected “any dictation, action or effort aimed at distorting its noble objectives when it comes to preserving the global economy from volatility in the oil market.
“Resolving economic challenges requires the establishment of a constructive and non-politicized dialogue, as well as considering wisely and rationally what is in the interests of all countries,” said the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Lastly, he reiterated that he considers his relationship with the United States to be “strategic” and has indicated that its pillars “include mutual respect, the promotion of common interests, the active contribution to the preservation of peace and the regional and international security, combating terrorism and extremism, and achieving prosperity for the peoples of the region.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said in an interview with the Emirati television network Al Arabiya on Wednesday that Riyadh would work to defend its interests and reiterated that there are no political motives behind OPEC+’s decision, according to the newspaper ‘ Saudi Gazette’.
“We are not looking for political explanations for the OPEC+ decision,” he said, before noting that “there are internal considerations in the United States that make it difficult for them to understand the OPEC+ decision.” “OPEC + serves the interests of oil producers and consumers and calls for its dismantling are emotional,” she stressed.
