Biden Regional Travel; Out of desperation or security reasons?

Although many analysts attribute the trip to the US government’s desperation to reduce fuel prices, US officials say Biden’s presence in the Middle East (West Asia) is for security reasons.

Biden will travel to the region at a time of sharp political turmoil, and the trip to Saudi Arabia comes as the US government grapples with rising inflation and rising fuel prices.

The oil shortage has been painful for the Biden government, and he has not been able to stop the rise in gasoline prices; For the first time in US history, the price has exceeded $ 5 per gallon (3.8 liters).

Human rights activists, media figures and even some of Biden’s Democratic friends have condemned the idea of ​​the US president shaking hands with the Saudi Crown Prince and leaders.

According to the White House, Biden will begin his trip to the West Asian region from the Occupied Territories and will first meet with Israeli leaders to discuss “Israel’s growing security, prosperity and integration into the region,” according to a White House spokesman. Slowly

The US president will also visit the West Bank to reiterate, according to the White House, the leaders of the Palestinian Authority and reiterate his strong support for the two-state solution, with equal arrangements for security, freedom and opportunity for the Palestinian people.

Virtual meeting with India, UAE and Israel

While in the Occupied Territories, Biden will attend a virtual summit of the I2-U2 diplomatic group with India, Israel, the UAE and the United States.

The virtual summit will focus on the “food security crisis” stemming from the Ukraine war.

The US president will then travel to Jeddah at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, according to the White House.

Biden’s flight from the occupied territories to Jeddah will be the first flight by a US president from the region to an Arab country that does not recognize the regime. In 2017, Donald Trump traveled from Saudi Arabia to the occupied territories.

Meet with 9 regional leaders

Saudi Arabia, which currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council, is hosting the summit, which is attended by nine leaders from across the region.

The president will also attend the GCC summit with Egypt, Iraq and Jordan (known as the GCC + 3) and, according to the White House, meet with his counterparts from across the region to advance US security, economic and diplomatic interests. will do.

The White House says Biden is looking forward to this important trip to Saudi Arabia, a country that has been a strategic partner of the United States for nearly eight decades.

According to the White House, Biden will discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues in Saudi Arabia. These include supporting the UN-mediated ceasefire in Yemen, which has led to the most peaceful period since the start of the seven-year war in Yemen.

According to the White House, Biden also traveled to Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to expand regional economic and security cooperation, including new and promising infrastructure and climate initiatives, as well as “deterrence against the Iranian threat,” promoting human rights and ensuring global energy security. Will discuss food.

The White House says the US president is eagerly awaiting a positive view of US engagement in the region in the coming months and years, culminating in months of diplomacy following Biden meeting with Southeast Asian Union (ASEAN) leaders at the palace. White travels to South Korea and Japan, hosts the Quartet (US, India, Australia, and Japan), hosts the US Continental Summit in Los Angeles, and travels to Europe to attend NATO and G7 summits.

White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia did not depend on energy.

He added that the assessment of interaction with Saudi Arabia and energy security as a request for oil is more wrong, calling this assessment a misunderstanding of the issue and the US government’s multifaceted talks with Saudi leaders. Is oil.

International media have reported on the trip, with Biden planning to travel to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stabilize global oil markets amid skyrocketing gas and oil prices. .

The trip to Saudi Arabia and the meeting with Mohammed bin Salman will be controversial, as US lawmakers are likely to oppose the Saudi Crown Prince’s poor human rights record.

Biden passes the murder of Khashkchi

In a report prior to the official announcement of the date of the trip, CNN reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden is seeking a full resumption of relations with Saudi Arabia and an end to the assassination of Jamal Khashgechi.

The American news network, close to the Democratic Party, quoted US officials as saying that senior US officials had told Saudi Arabia that the United States was ready to resume relations with Saudi Arabia, and that the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashgechi had been assassinated. 2018 to pass.

The decision to resume relations is a dramatic move to preserve Biden’s image, which began with a promise to expel Saudi Arabia for Khashgechi’s murder.

His government also released a report last year directly accusing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of orchestrating Khashkchi’s assassination, but officials told CNN that Biden was under intense pressure to confront Russia in Ukraine and reduce gasoline prices in the country. Amid unprecedented inflation over the past 40 years, it has abandoned its moral dissatisfaction with Saudi Arabia to pursue warmer relations with the country amid dramatic global developments.

“Both sides have decided that in order to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, we must overcome this issue,” a senior US official said, referring to Khashgechi’s assassination. The Saudis, for their part, have declared the Khashkchi issue over and have openly stated their position to the United States.

These sources also claimed that this does not mean forgiveness and forgetting. According to them, Biden plans to talk directly with the Saudi Crown Prince next month about Khashgechi’s assassination.

Some officials within the US government still believe that more needs to be done to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for this crime.

Adam Schiff, a prominent Democrat in the US Congress, has said that Biden should not travel to Saudi Arabia or meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A senior Biden administration official has said that the final part of the US president’s regional trip to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia could shape the government’s goals in the region for the rest of 2023.