“My visit to Saudi Arabia is intended to reaffirm American influence in the region.” This statement by US President Joe Biden made headlinesArab News. In the subtitle, the Saudi daily adds that, still according to the tenant of the White House, “the pivot [vers l’Asie] to the detriment of the Middle East was a mistake” and “the United States must not create a power vacuum” in the region, which China and Russia risk filling.
Joe Biden made the statements Thursday, July 14 during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Jerusalem, on the second and final day of his trip to Israel, says The Times of Israel. His Middle Eastern tour then took him to the Palestinian Territories in the West Bank, where he met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas before flying to Saudi Arabia.
He is due to meet King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) there, then attend a regional summit of the six petro-monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), joined by Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
“This visit is a return to normal”, comment Arab News, who welcomes the fact that the time when the American president promised to consider Saudi Arabia as a “Outcast state” and refused to deal directly with the crown prince, accused of ordering the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is over.
Coordination in the face of global and regional challenges
“The Saudi kingdom occupies a leading role in the world energy market, is a member of the G20 and occupies the place of