President of the United States Joe Bidenassured this Saturday that his country will remain fully committed to the Middle East and will not cede its influence to other powers.
“We will not go away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran,” Trump said at a summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The meeting in the second Saudi city, located on the Red Sea coast, brings together six rulers Gulf Cooperation Council along with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
On my first trip to Middle East As president, Biden intended to lay out his vision for Washington’s role in the region so as not to cede influence to Russia and China.
On Friday he met with King Salman Saudi Arabia and with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler who, according to US intelligence agencies, “approved” the 2018 operation that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saying Friday Biden He called Khashoggi’s death “outrageous” and said he warned Prince Mohammed against further attacks on dissidents, without specifying what action he might take.
Prince Mohammed presided over the opening of the summit on Saturday, which was not attended by King Salman. The crown prince has denied any involvement in the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul and whose remains have never been found.
On Saturday, Biden told the assembled Arab leaders that “the future will be won by countries that reach the full potential of their populations … where citizens can ask questions and criticize leaders without fear of reprisals.”
Tensions over Ukraine
Joe Biden promised a $1,000 million package for food security in the Middle East and North Africa threatened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian invasion of Ukraine it exposed a previously unimaginable rift between Washington and its main Middle Eastern allies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, oil giants that are becoming increasingly independent on the international stage.
The wealthy Gulf states that host US troops and have supported Washington for decades have refrained from supporting the Biden administration in its attempt to isolate Moscow.
Analysts say this new stance marks a turning point in Gulf relations with USA.
As a sign of rapprochement, Biden invited his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to come to Washington before the end of the year on Saturday.
In his opening remarks at the summit, the Prince of Saudi Arabia expressed his hope that this “will usher in a new era of joint cooperation … to serve our common interests and enhance security and development in this vital region for the whole world.”
strategic cooperation
Saudi Arabia D USA According to a statement by Saudi Arabia, 18 agreements were signed on Friday in the fields of energy, space, health and investment.
The two countries stressed “the importance of their strategic economic and investment cooperation, especially in light of the current crisis in Ukraine and its aftermath, reaffirming their commitment to the stability of global energy markets,” the joint statement said.
Saudi Arabia agreed to connect the GCC power grids to Iraq, which is heavily dependent on electricity from Iran, “to provide Iraq and its people with new and diversified sources of electricity,” the White House said.
Washington wants the world’s largest exporter of crude oil to turn on the taps to lower fuel prices and thereby reduce inflation in its country. But on Friday, Biden lowered expectations that his trip would bring immediate benefits.
“I’m doing my best to increase shipments to the US,” he said, but added that concrete results won’t be seen “for a couple of weeks.” (AFP)
Source: RPP
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