President Biden met today in Jeddah with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – the Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of the United States. Jordan (collectively known as GCC+3). Called the Jeddah Security and Development Summit, it was the first summit of its kind among the nine countries. Throughout, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a prosperous, peaceful and integrated Middle East region and to working together to address global challenges such as combating emerging diseases, ensuring food and energy security, and addressing the climate crisis through partnerships.
At the summit, President Biden reiterated the importance the United States attaches to its decades-long strategic partnership in the Middle East region, reaffirmed the United States’ continued commitment to the security and territorial defense of US partners, and recognized the increasingly important role of the region. as a crossroads of trade and technology between hemispheres. He also firmly affirmed the centrality of the Middle East region in ensuring the long-term security and well-being of the United States and the American people.
America’s commitment to the Middle East region
President Biden laid out five declarative principles—partnership, deterrence, diplomacy, integration, and values—that will guide U.S. engagement in the Middle East for decades to come.
1. Partnerships: The United States supports and strengthens partnerships with countries that adhere to the rules-based international order, and we ensure that those countries can defend themselves against external threats.
2. Deterrence: The United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to threaten freedom of navigation in Middle Eastern waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al Mandab, and will not tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another or the region. through military concentration, invasion or threats.
3. Diplomacy: The United States is not only about preventing threats to regional stability, but we work to use diplomacy to reduce tensions, defuse and end conflicts whenever possible.
4. Integration: The United States will build political, economic, and security relationships among U.S. partners whenever possible, while respecting each country’s sovereignty and independent choices.
5. Values: The United States will always promote human rights and the values set forth in the United Nations Charter.
This speech by President Biden frames the way forward for US action in a way that leverages America’s unique capabilities in cooperation with long-standing US partners.
In addition, the leaders agreed around the table:
Ensure food security for the most vulnerable populations in the Middle East
• President Biden announced that the United States has committed $1 billion in new, acute and near-term food security assistance to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Recognizing that the impacts of global food insecurity and the capacity to respond to it are unevenly distributed among countries, GCC leaders underscored their commitment to support vulnerable populations in the MENA region through the recently announced $10 by the Arab Coordination Group (ACG). billion food security package. Together, the United States and GCC countries will leverage their collective assistance tools to address immediate humanitarian needs and disruptions, including ensuring full, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access to populations in need throughout the region.
• The United States, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan signed the Global Food Security Roadmap, a call to action unveiled at the UN Ministerial Meeting in May 2022. At the GCC+3 summit, leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to act swiftly, comprehensively and in a coordinated manner to address the urgent food security and nutrition needs of millions of vulnerable people. They pledged to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, build resilience of vulnerable people, support near-medium and medium-sized food security to strengthen social protection and safety nets, and strengthen sustainable, resilient and inclusive food systems in line with UN goals. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals and the 2021 UN Summit on Food Systems.
Improve strategic investment cooperation
• GCC partners plan to invest a total of $3 billion in projects aligned with the goals of the US Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) to deliver high-quality, sustainable infrastructure that changes lives around the world, strengthens and diversifies our supply chains. , creates new opportunities for American workers and businesses, and advances our national security.
• The Global Infrastructure and Investment Partnership, unveiled by the President and G7 leaders at the G7 Summit on 26 June 2022, will be implemented under four priority pillars that will define the second half of the 21st century. It contains:
o Combating the climate crisis and strengthening global energy security through investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, transformative energy technologies and the development of clean energy supply chains throughout the integrated life cycle, from the responsible mining of metals and critical minerals; for low-emission transport and heavy infrastructure; invest in new global refining, processing and battery manufacturing sites; for deploying proven as well as innovative, scalable technologies in places that do not yet have access to clean energy.
o Developing, expanding and deploying secure information and communication technology (ICT) networks and infrastructure to accelerate economic growth and facilitate an open digital society – from working with trusted suppliers to deliver 5G and 6G digital connectivity to supporting access to platforms and services that depend. an open, interoperable, secure and reliable internet and mobile network with solid cyber security.
o Promoting gender equality and equity – from care infrastructure that increases women’s economic participation to improved water and sanitation infrastructure that addresses gender inequalities in unpaid work and time use – to accelerate the global economic recovery by ensuring that half the population is not forced to sit on the sidelines .
o Developing and modernizing the infrastructure of health systems and contributing to global health security through investments in patient-centered health services and health workers; production of vaccines and other important medical products; and disease surveillance and early warning systems, including safe and secure laboratories. Addressing the current pandemic and preventing and preparing for the next one are critical to US economic and national security.
Improve care for Palestinian patients
• Following President Biden’s July 15 announcement of a $100 million U.S. contribution to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE each pledged $25 million to bring the total to $100 million. Our combined $200 million aid package will help the East Jerusalem Hospital Network upgrade its infrastructure and improve patient care for the thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza who rely on the network for life-saving treatment.
Completing Iraq’s energy integration with the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan
• President Biden welcomed Iraq’s signing of agreements with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan to bring affordable energy to Iraq and diversify its supply and ensure energy resilience to meet the growing needs of the people. The landmark agreement signed today between Iraq and the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) will connect Iraq’s electricity grid with GCC grids, thereby providing the Iraqi people with new and diverse sources of electricity for the next decade.
Reach out for global economic security
• President Biden spoke to Middle East leaders about the importance of addressing current global energy uncertainty and managing energy price pressures by ensuring steadily growing supply in producing countries through 2022 and 2023, including increased investment in refining capacity. President Biden welcomed OPEC+’s recent announcement of increasing supply in July and August. President Biden expects supply to increase in the coming months depending on market conditions and analysis, including record U.S. domestic production.
Integrated Air and Martine Defense Cooperation
• President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to accelerating ongoing work with its allies and partners in the Middle East to integrate and enhance security cooperation. In particular, the United States is committed to promoting a more integrated and regionally networked air and missile defense architecture and countering the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems and missiles by non-state actors that threaten regional peace and security.
• President Biden also reaffirmed the US commitment to maintaining the free flow of trade through strategic international waterways such as the Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world’s energy passes each day, through several joint naval task forces. in collaboration with long-standing US partners integrated through US Central Command.
