Biden: Will not turn their backs on the Middle East region

Created: 07/16/2022Updated: 07/16/2022 18:02

US President Joe Biden salutes before departing Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport for Saudi Arabia.

© Evan Vucci/AP/dpa

At the end of his Middle East visit, US President Biden made it clear that the US will not withdraw from the region.

He wants to prevent Russia and China from spreading there.

Jeddah - According to President Joe Biden, the United States does not want to turn its back on the Middle East and push back the influence of China, Russia and Iran there.

"Let me be clear that the United States will remain an active, committed partner in the Middle East," Biden said at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.

"We will not go away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran." The US "went nowhere".

Biden at Gulf Cooperation Council summit

The Council is the most important political and economic alliance in the Gulf.

The members are Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which has a dominant position in the group.

In the expanded format (GCC+3) on Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II also attended.

Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, among others, sees arch-enemy Iran as a major threat in the region.

Biden reiterated that the US would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

"We are also trying to use diplomacy to rein in Iran's nuclear program," Biden said.

He was referring to US efforts to revive the nuclear deal with Iran.

However, negotiations on this have stalled.

Biden said the United States is committed to "ensuring that Iran will never get a nuclear weapon, no matter what happens."

There have been several direct talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Baghdad.

These have been positive, but so far without the desired result, said Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud after the summit.

Among other things, Riyadh had blamed Iran directly for an attack on key Saudi oil facilities almost three years ago.

This temporarily paralyzed around half of Saudi oil production - around five percent of global oil production.

The conflict with Iran was also fought in international waters.

There were several incidents, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, which, like the Bab al-Mandab strait, is one of the most important shipping routes in the world.

The United States had blamed Iran for various attacks on merchant ships in the sea area, which Tehran denied.

USA guarantee safety of shipping

"The US will not allow foreign and regional powers to threaten the freedom of navigation through waterways in the Middle East," Biden said in the main courtroom in Jeddah.

The free movement of goods through the Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz is the region's "elixir of life".

The US would not tolerate any effort by one country to dominate other states in the region.

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Regarding energy security, Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad said, "We will spare no effort to ensure the continuous flow of energy supplies."

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced that Saudi Arabia would increase its oil production capacity by one million barrels per day, from the current 12 to 13 million barrels per day.

However, he did not make any promises that he would actually produce more oil.

Biden, who was traveling to the region for the first time as head of state, spoke of the first visit by a US president since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 without US troops being involved in combat operations in the Middle East.

The region is more united than ever.

Former rivals have established diplomatic and economic relations - probably a reference to the rapprochement of several Arab states with Israel under the so-called Abraham Agreements.

Saudi Arabia still does not recognize Israel, but announced during Biden's visit that it would open airspace to flights to and from Israel.

Comparable further steps are not planned, said the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal.

Criticism of trip to Saudi Arabia

Biden had previously received a lot of criticism for his trip to Saudi Arabia.

US intelligence services see Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman behind the murder of government critic Jamal Khashoggi.

The US-based journalist Khashoggi was killed by a hit squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Biden said on Friday evening that he had addressed the murder "crystal clear" when meeting the crown prince - but he had denied any responsibility.

"He was basically saying that he wasn't personally responsible for it.

I indicated that I think he is," Biden said.

The assassination of Khashoggi

The Saudi government warned the United States against interference in the case.

"Forcing values ​​is counterproductive," Saudi Arabia-funded news channel Al-Arabiya quoted a government official as saying.

Crown Prince Mohammed assured Biden at their meeting on Friday evening that the kingdom "took the necessary steps in the Khashoggi incident."

On the sidelines of the summit, Biden had several bilateral meetings with heads of state and government of Arab countries.

On Saturday, the 79-year-old boarded the presidential plane Air Force One for the return flight to Washington.

Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday and then also visited the Palestinian territories.

dpa