US President Joe Biden said on Saturday the United States would remain an active, engaged partner in the Middle East.
"The United States is invested in building a positive future of the region, in partnership with all of you - and the United States is not going anywhere," Biden told the Arab leaders in a speech to kick off the summit. Biden is seeking to start a new chapter in US involvement in the Middle East, hoping to move past U.S. military conflicts and instead push for a region that respects individual nations' domestic affairs but seeks economic integration and shared defenses amid concerns over Iran.
Biden, on his first Middle East trip as president, has focused on Saturday's summit with six Gulf states and Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq while downplaying a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. T Biden came to Saudi Arabia hoping to strike a deal on oil production to help drive down gasoline prices that are driving inflation to more than 40-year highs and pummelling his poll numbers. However, he will leave the region empty-handed and is hoping his diplomatic efforts here will push the OPEC+ group to boost production when they meet on Aug. 3. "I look forward to seeing what's coming in the coming months," Biden said.
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