Riyadh: The Jeddah summit in which the United States and the Arab-Gulf countries participated decided to move together against the threat posed by Iran in the Middle East region. On the second day of President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the leaders and representatives of the six Gulf countries, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan participated in the summit held in Jeddah. The US will be involved in all strategic issues in the Middle East region. Iran will be vigilant to prevent its nuclear weapons stockpile. But Joe Biden’s attempt to add Israel to the ranks of the Arab and Gulf countries against Iran was futile.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan have taken a firm stand that cooperation with Israel is not possible without the creation of an independent Palestinian state. At that time, through the two-day visit of the US President, many important decisions were made for Saudi Arabia, the United States and other friendly countries. Seven strategic decisions were taken by Joe Biden and Amir Mohammed bin Salman in the meeting held in Jeddah. These include the Yemen ceasefire agreement and Saudi technology development. The announcement, including the opening of Saudi airspace to all countries, including Israel, is considered a major achievement by the US. The US media also point out that this visit is also a declaration that the US cannot move forward without Saudi Arabia.
Currently, civilian aircraft flying in and out of Israel are not allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has decided to open its airspace to everyone in view of its move to become a global cargo hub. With Saudi repeatedly stating that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, it is clear that there is nothing beyond the opening of airspace.
Another decision was to increase Saudi oil production to 13 million barrels per day. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also clarified that it cannot be raised more than this. Saudi Arabia currently produces 10.21 million barrels. Oil production is increasing at the request of the United States. Efforts will now be made to stabilize oil prices and oil supply in the global market.
The talks also resulted in a firm decision to continue the UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen. There will be no more Saudi attacks on Yemen. The ceasefire will continue. But if the Iran-backed Houthis provoke a provocation, the U.S. will have the support to respond. Saudi will also facilitate the resumption of direct commercial flights from Sanaa to Amman and Cairo for the first time in seven years. It was announced that Saudi Arabia and the UAE will jointly contribute 2,000 million dollars to the Central Bank of Yemen. This was welcomed by Joe Biden.
Saudi Arabia will invest in the Global Infrastructure and Investment Plan announced at the G7 Summit held on June 26, 2022 by the G7 countries. Saudi Arabia, which is not a member of G7, will invest in cooperation with the US.
Another important decision is the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US for cooperation in 5G/6G. Technology companies of both the countries will be connected for this purpose.
One of the US-Saudi agreements is cooperation on clean energy. There will be new Saudi investments to accelerate the energy transition and combat the effects of climate change. Both countries will invest in solar, green hydrogen, nuclear and other clean energy initiatives. Research, development and demonstration of innovative technologies for carbon-free mobility will also be enhanced.
The last understanding is related to human rights. The agreement states that the US must respect and promote human rights and freedoms. After the summit, Joe Biden returned to America on Saturday evening.