The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said this Saturday (16) that the country will continue to be an active and engaged partner in the Middle East . Biden urged leaders gathered at an Arab summit to see human rights as a powerful force for economic and social change.
“The United States is invested in building a positive future for the region, in partnership with all of you – and the United States is not going anywhere,” Biden told Arab leaders in an opening speech at the summit.
Biden is looking to start a new chapter in US engagement in the Middle East, hoping to overcome the country’s military conflicts and instead push for a region that respects the internal affairs of individual nations but seeks economic integration and shared defenses amid to concerns about Iran.
Biden, on his first trip to the Middle East as president, focused on Saturday’s planned summit with six Gulf countries and Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, while downplaying a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
That meeting drew criticism in the United States over the country’s record of human rights violations, most notably the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi. US intelligence believes the crown prince was behind the murder, an allegation he denies.
Relations between Egypt and the United States were also strained in the early months of Biden’s presidency amid human rights differences, before Egypt’s efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza in May 2021 led to a re-engagement.
Biden says press freedom and democratic rights can result in stinging criticism, but the ability to speak openly and exchange ideas freely is what drives innovation.
“Responsible institutions that are free from corruption and act transparently and respect the rule of law are the best way to generate growth, respond to people’s needs and, I believe, ensure justice,” Biden said.
Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia in hopes of striking a deal on oil production to help bring down gasoline prices, which are pushing inflation to the highest highs in more than 40 years and plunging his numbers in polls.
However, he will leave the region empty-handed and hopes his diplomatic efforts will lead the OPEC+ group to ramp up production when they meet on Aug.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come in the coming months,” Biden said.
(With information from Yasmin Hussein, edited by Jane Merriman and Helen Popper)
Source: CNN Brasil
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