US Energy Secretary Rick Perry held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Khalid Falih, during which the two parties discussed potential bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and joint efforts in the development of clean fossil fuels, the US Energy Department said.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2018) US Energy Secretary Rick Perry held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Khalid Falih, during which the two parties discussed potential bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and joint efforts in the development of clean fossil fuels, the US Energy Department said.
"Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry met with the Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), H.E. Khalid Al-Falih, at Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarters in Washington, D.C. During the meeting, the two energy leaders discussed a wide array of issues, including the potential for U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear engagement and new technologies such as Small Modular Reactors, the state of world oil markets and the status of joint efforts to share technologies to develop clean fossil fuels," the Energy Department said in a statement on the two ministers' meeting, held on Monday.
During the talks, Perry noted that Washington and Riyadh had strong ties. He added that the US authorities were interested in developing energy diversity and security of the middle East, according to the statement.
The Energy Department recalled that in 2017, Perry visited Saudi Arabia for signing a Memorandum of Understanding that established a framework for mutually beneficial cooperation in clean fossil fuels and carbon management.
Later this week, Perry is expected to meet Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak to discuss the work of US companies in Russia and the activities of Russian companies in the United States.
Saudi Arabia has long been one of the United States' key partners in the Middle East. Over the recent months, Riyadh, which is seeking to expand its energy portfolio, has been in talks with Washington over a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement that would allow Saudi Arabia to pursue its civilian nuclear projects.
In June, US President Donald Trump called on Riyadh to boost its oil production in a bid to take the Iranian oil exports off the market. Global oil prices have been rising recently on expectations that the Trump administration will renew its sanctions on the exports of Iranian oil in November after the recent Washington's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal.
