President Biden concluded his trip to Saudi Arabia with a renewed partnership with the Kingdom, pledging to work together with Saudi leadership to achieve shared goals on a number of diplomatic, energy, and trade issues.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets President Biden in Jeddah.
Biden, on his first trip to Saudi Arabia as President after months of behind-the-scenes diplomacy and planning, and was received at the airport by HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States. Biden met first with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, then held what the White House described as “an extended working session with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman” and a team of advisors on both sides.
According to the White House, the United States and Saudi Arabia finalized “a number of international and bilateral agreements that serve the interests of the American people and a more integrated, stable, and prosperous Middle East region.”
President Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.
In remarks to reporters, Biden said he “got the chance to talk to basically the entire Saudi government…from the energy minister to the sports minister, all the way down the line.”
“And thanks to many months of quiet diplomacy by the staff, we’ve accomplished some significant business today.”
The White House said that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia reached agreements on:
-Removing Peacekeepers from Tiran Island
-Opening Saudi Airspace to Civilian Aircraft Flying to and from Israel
-Sustaining the UN-Mediated Truce in Yemen
-Support for PGII
-New Bilateral Framework for Cooperation on 5G/6G
-New Cooperation on Energy Security
-New Bilateral Framework on Clean Energy Cooperation
-Cybersecurity Cooperation
-Cooperation in Space Exploration
-Public Health Cooperation, and
-Enhanced Maritime Security Cooperation.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Joe Biden.
The White House also discussed human rights concerns with Saudi Arabia, underscoring “the United States’ conviction that respect for and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms promotes stability and strengthens national security. Over the course of the discussion, he raised specific cases of concern. He also raised the egregious murder of Jamal Khashoggi, described the accountability measures the United States has put in place in response, and received commitments with respect to reforms and institutional safeguards in place to guard against any such conduct in the future.”
Biden said in comments to reporters afterward that he raised the murder of Jamal Khashoggi “at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time and what I think of it now. And it was exactly — I was straightforward and direct in discussing it. I made my view crystal clear. I said very straightforwardly: For an American President to be silent on an issue of human rights, is this consistent with — inconsistent with who we are and who I am? I’ll always stand up for our values.”
Additionally, the White House said that Biden and his team discussed Integrated Air Defense Cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
“The two sides reviewed developments in improving air defense integration and protection of Saudi Arabia’s territory and people from external threats, including missiles, drones, and UAVs. This cooperation includes U.S. military support and far-reaching foreign military sales cases with emphasis on defensive systems and advanced technology. The United States affirmed it would accelerate our cooperation with Saudi Arabia and other partners in the region to counter unmanned aerial systems and missiles that threaten the peace and security of the region. President Biden affirmed the United States’ commitment to working with Saudi Arabia and other allies and partners in the Middle East to integrate and enhance security cooperation. In particular, the United States is committed to advancing a more integrated and regionally-networked air and missile defense architecture and countering the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems and missiles to non-state actors that threaten the peace and security of the region. “
The following day, President Biden joined a meeting of 9 regional heads of state to discuss joint efforts at ensuring mutual security and prosperity.
