Tabnak – As international observers expect major developments regarding the situation in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East, frequent visits of the US officials to the region indicates a possible new approach in the making in Washington.
Various local and international media reported today that the top US commander for the Middle East has made his first visit to a Saudi military base near the Yemeni border in a tour closed to media representatives.
According to US Central Command Spokesman Col. John Thomas, Gen. Joseph Votel did not cross into Yemeni territory during the visit, which lasted much of the day, noting that the small group which accompanied him got separated at one point due to logistical problems, including a vehicle breakdown.
Votel’s 600-mile day trip from Riyadh to Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jizan region was aimed at developing "a better understanding of the Saudi challenges with security [at] the border,” Thomas said.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary James Mattis visited Turkey to discuss regional issues with the Turkish officials. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used a meeting with Mattis to relay his disappointment with Washington over its support for Kurdish groups in Syria, sources say.
In a meeting in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan told the visiting Pentagon chief that the ongoing military cooperation between the US and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) made him feel "uneasy,” Turkish presidential sources said.
However, the Pentagon said in a statement that during his stop in Ankara, Mattis would "emphasize the steadfast commitment of the United States to Turkey as a NATO ally and strategic partner, seek to collaborate on efforts to advance regional stability, and look for ways to help Turkey address its legitimate security concerns - including the fight against the PKK."
However, it wasn’t the last case of recent US officials trips to the region. According to the US media, White House adviser Jared Kushner is leading a delegation to the Middle East on behalf of President Donald Trump to discuss the possibility of resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
In this vein, Kushner was in Cairo on Wednesday to meet with senior officials as Egypt expressed disapproval of a decision to withhold and withdraw millions of dollars in US aid to the country over human rights concerns.
Initial reports from Cairo were that a scheduled meeting between Kushner and Foreign Ministry Sameh Shoukry was cancelled in a show of Egypt’s displeasure. But State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the reports were wrong, and Kushner and Shoukry met together with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
All in all, it seems that aware of the fragility of the whole situation around the Middle East, Washington is actively trying to reassure its allies and partners over its commitment to their interests and security. At a time that Trump is facing serious challenges in home bringing under question his competence as the president, there’s serious doubt whether this reassurance policy would succeed at the end of the day.
