US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he had held important talks with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, where he is on an official two-day visit.
Biden noted that he had a good series of meetings, and accomplished some important work, noting that talks have also touched on the defense needs of Saudi Arabia and global energy security.
“I had a good series of meetings,” he told reporters in Jeddah, adding: “Thanks to many months of quiet diplomacy by the staff, we’ve accomplished some significant business today.”
The US president pointed to Riyadh’s contribution to the stabilization and support of the truce in Yemen, saying: “We further agreed to pursue a diplomatic process to achieve a wider settlement in Yemen.”
On global efforts for energy transition, Biden said: “Saudi Arabia will also partner with us on a far-reaching clean energy initiative focused on green hydrogen, solar, carbon capture, nuclear, and other projects to accelerate the world’s clean energy transition and to help the US clean energy industry set global standards.”
He stressed that his trip to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia was about “once again positioning America in this region for the future.”
“We are not going to leave a vacuum in the Middle East for Russia or China to fill. And we’re getting results,” he stated.
