President Joe Biden: US Will Remain Middle East Partner

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden said that the United States would be an active and engaged partner with the Middle East.

He also urged leaders gathered at the Arab Summit to see human rights as a powerful force for economic and social change.

"The United States is investing in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you — and the United States is not going anywhere," Biden told Arab leaders in his speech to kick off the summit. , Saturday, July 16.

Biden is seeking to start a new chapter in US involvement in the Middle East.

He hopes to forgo US military conflicts and instead, push for a region that respects each other's internal affairs but seeks economic integration and mutual defense amid concerns over Iran.

Biden, who is traveling to the Middle East for the first time as US president, focused on summits with the six Gulf states and Egypt, as well as Jordan and Iraq. He appears to have downplayed the meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The meeting has drawn criticism in the US for the country's record of human rights abuses, notably the brutal killing of Washington Post journalist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi.

US intelligence believes the crown prince was behind the killing, but the accusations are denied by the Saudis.

Relations between Egypt and the US were also uneasy in the first months of Biden's presidency amid differences over human rights, before Egypt's efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza in May 2021 led to improved relations between the two countries.

Biden said press freedom and democratic rights can generate scathing criticism, but the ability to speak openly and exchange ideas freely is what drives innovation.

"Institutions that are accountable and free from corruption and act transparently and respect the rule of law are the best way to deliver growth, respond to people's needs, and I believe guarantee justice," Biden said.

Biden came to Saudi Arabia hoping to strike a deal on oil production to help bring down gasoline prices that pushed inflation to a more than 40-year high.

However, he will leave the region empty-handed and hopes his Middle East diplomatic efforts will encourage the OPEC+ group to increase production when they meet on August 3.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the coming months," Biden said.