On Friday, US President Joe Biden landed in Saudi Arabia for a three-hour meeting with the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The trip has not taken place without criticism – intelligence services in the US have judged that the prince was the one who gave the green light for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Biden himself has previously called on the world to isolate Saudi Arabia “as the pariah is “.
Frosty relations with the United Arab Emirates
On Saturday’s agenda, other meetings were at the top instead. The US president will meet with leaders from Iraq, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The president of the latter country – Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – was also invited for a state visit to the United States. Biden hopes that it can happen “before the end of the year”.
The United States and the United Arab Emirates have traditionally strong ties, with American troops based in the country, but relations have taken a turn for the worse with Abu Dhabi’s increased political relations with Moscow.
– We both understand that the challenges we face today only make it much more important to spend more time together. That is why I want to formally invite you to the USA, says Biden.
The US President also emphasizes that the United States will continue to be deeply involved in the Middle East.
– We will not leave and create a vacuum that can be filled by China, Russia or Iran, the president says.
Increased oil production
Biden also says that he expects Saudi Arabia to further increase oil production, as a way to reduce fuel costs at home.
That promise has not yet come from Saudi Arabia – but US officials have said they are convinced Riyadh will lead the OPEC plus alliance to an agreement to gradually increase production, Bloomberg reports.
– I do everything I can to increase availability in the US, which I expect will happen. The Saudis share that urgency, and based on the discussions today, I expect that we will see further steps in that direction in the coming weeks, he says to the news site.
Several analysts believe that the goal of the unpopular state visit at home is to get rid of the fuel price, which can lead to increased support for the president.
In a guest column in the Washington Post, President Joe Biden writes that the goal is instead to meet Russia’s aggression, to be able to compete with China and to work for increased stability in the region.