US President Joe Biden confirmed, on Friday, the possibility of a visit to Saudi Arabia, which constitutes a major change in his position, following he previously promised to treat the Kingdom as a “pariah” country.
Biden told reporters, “I do not know the exact date of my visit. There is a possibility that I will meet with the Israelis and (officials) in some Arab countries. Saudi Arabia will be part of (the tour) if I make it, but I have no direct plans yet.”
Biden added: “I have not changed my position on human rights in Saudi Arabia, but my position requires me to move to support peace in the Middle East.”
It was a newspaperThe New York TimesI had speculated that Biden would visit Saudi Arabia this month.
And the American newspaper wrote that the President of the United States “decided to go to Riyadh this month to rebuild relations with the oil kingdom while seeking to reduce fuel prices at home and isolate Russia internationally.”
She explained that the logistical details and schedule have not yet been confirmed, but the visit will be added to a trip that he will take at the end of June to Israel and Germany to attend the G7 summit and Spain to participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The talk regarding Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes at a time when the parties to the conflict in Yemen have reached the renewal of a fragile truce for two months.
It is reported that Biden praised Thursday the “courageous leadership” of Saudi leaders in this regard.
The decision for the expected visit also comes while the “OPEC +” alliance led by Riyadh decided, on Thursday, to increase its production following months of waiting and anticipation, despite the rise in prices.
This has responded to calls from Western powers.
In a related context, Biden pointed out that the decision to release percentages of US oil reserves, taken by his administration, “made fuel prices not rise further.”
In addition, the US President praised his administration’s efforts to support the local economy and said: “The strong position of the American economy has made experts believe that our growth rate will exceed that of China.”
Biden indicated that the figures related to the increase in US household savings and the decrease in debt are the highest since 2013.
Regarding the Russian war on Ukraine, Biden revealed that Russia’s aggression once morest its eastern neighbor has caused food prices to rise all over the world.
He said, “Ukraine has 20 million tons of grain in storage and it is stuck in storage because of the Russian war,” then continued, “The Russian war on Ukraine has caused food prices to rise all over the world.”
