In an effort to repair one of the most crucial diplomatic ties in the world, President Joe Biden met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday. Biden had previously snubbed the prince due to human rights violations.
According to Mr. Biden, he brought up Jamal Khashoggi’s death at the outset of his Friday discussion with the Saudi Crown Prince.
Mr. Biden stated, “I said, very simply, that for an American president to stay silent on a human rights matter is incongruous with who we are and who I am. I’ll always fight for our principles.
According to U.S. intelligence, Khashoggi, a journalist residing in the United States, was killed four years ago with the likely approval of the crown prince. His assassination has shadowed Mr. Biden’s attempts to mend fences with Saudi Arabia.
The meeting, which started with a fist bump as Mr. Biden exited his presidential limousine, may alter international oil trade patterns and security alliances in West Asia.
As part of an agreement made during what he termed “a productive set of conversations” in Jeddah, Mr. Biden also said that American troops would depart the Red Sea island of Tiran by the end of the year.
The three hours that Mr. Biden spent at the royal palace in Jeddah were considered as a diplomatic victory for the crown prince, who has worked to improve his reputation, attract investments for his reform initiatives, and strengthen the kingdom’s security ties with the United States.
At a time of rising gas prices and anxiety about Iran’s nuclear aspirations, Mr. Biden appeared to treat it as a necessary, though rather unpleasant, move to restore ties with the top oil exporter in the world.
The United States downplayed hopes for any swift improvements in Saudi Arabia’s oil output, which may help reduce the high gas costs that Mr. Biden’s home country faces politically. However, the White House stated that it expected “additional initiatives” to be taken in the upcoming weeks that “would significantly assist calm markets.”
After the present OPEC+ deal expires in September, there is a chance for increased production.
Rising gas costs, which were exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are one of the reasons why Vice President Biden decided to reconsider his strategy for dealing with Saudi Arabia.
The putative heir to the kingdom now held by his father, King Salman, Prince Mohammed, had long been denied communication from the U.S. President. These issues, however, have been overshadowed by other difficulties, such as Iranian aggressiveness in West Asia and the sputtering diplomatic attempt to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
In addition, Saudi Arabia aims to attract investments to diversify its economy away from oil production and deepen its security partnership with the United States.
Reserved Greetings
With none of the pomp and circumstance that surrounded Mr. Biden’s earlier trip this week in Israel, the Saudis gave him a reserved greeting at the airport in Jeddah.
Prince Khalid bin Faisal, the governor of Mecca, and Princess Reema bint Bandar, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the United States, welcomed Mr. Biden. He then proceeded to walk down a purple carpet to the vehicle that would take him to the palace.
King Salman, an 86-year-old king who has struggled with his health, requiring two hospital stays this year, sat down with the President. The Saudis published footage showing Mr. Biden shaking hands with the monarch while the crown prince watched, despite the fact that journalists were not permitted in the room.
There was a lot of curiosity about how Mr. Biden, who had sworn as a presidential candidate to regard Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” for its human rights record, would approach his interaction with Prince Mohammed, both in terms of the staging and the content.
