Jeddah [Saudi Arabia], July 17 (ANI): US President Joe Biden on Saturday (local time) welcomed the United Arab Emirates’ economic initiatives including its recent Free Trade Agreements signed with various countries including India. According to the White House statement, President Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met on Saturday (local time) in Jeddah in a bilateral meeting during the Summit of the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan.
“He welcomed the UAE’s economic initiatives throughout the Middle East and beyond, including its recent Free Trade Agreements signed with Israel, India, and Indonesia as well as new investments in Jordan and Egypt,” a White House statement read.
The UAE has signed three trade agreements this year — one each with Indonesia, India and Israel.
President Biden recognized the UAE’s efforts to strengthen its policies and enforcement mechanisms in the fight against financial crimes and illicit money flows. Both leaders highlighted the extensive and enduring educational, cultural and health partnerships between the two countries.
President Biden offered his personal condolences to President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and all Emiratis on the loss of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan. He congratulated the UAE President on his recent election as President and conveyed an invitation for him to visit the United States later this year.
Both the leaders during the Summit of the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, discussed a range of regional and global opportunities and challenges which require close coordination between the United States and the United Arab Emirates as strategic partners, the statement read.
In the realm of regional diplomacy, Biden expressed appreciation for UAE President’s personal leadership in breaking down barriers and forging diplomatic relations with Israel, as well as deepening cooperation with other countries in the region. Both the leaders discussed the US role in helping to forge new economic, trade, and people-to-people relations among Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, as well as in deepening the ties among these states and Egypt and Jordan through new frameworks of cooperation, the White House statement read.
“In the defence realm, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to deepening the extensive security cooperation that has made both countries safer and been a major contributor to regional peace and stability,” it added.
The US President recommitted to supporting the defence of the UAE against terrorists and other hostile acts such as the attacks targeting civilian sites in the UAE in January 2022. “On economics, commerce, and trade relations, President Biden noted that the UAE is one of the fastest growing US economic partnerships globally, the largest US trading partner in the Middle East, and a significant investor in the US economy,” the statement further read.
Biden also welcomed the UAE’s long-time commitment to global energy security as a reliable and responsible supplier and recognized its leading role in advancing climate action, the energy transition and in development of clean energy technologies. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed extended President Biden an invitation to attend the COP28 to be convened in the UAE in November 2023. (ANI)
Biden, Saudi Crown Prince discuss Afghan women’s rights
Kabul [Afghanistan], July 17 (ANI): US President Joe Biden who visited Saudi Arabia this week as part of his first Middle East trip as commander-in-chief discussed and analysed Afghan women’s rights, which have been badly curtailed since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Biden and Mohammed bin Salman voiced support for addressing the needs and advancing Afghan people’s rights, especially the rights of women and girls to education as well as the right to work for women, Khaama Press reported.
Notably, the two parties emphasized the importance of strengthening Afghanistan’s security and also stressed the significance of continuing to support humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. The talks come as the US’s defence budget of USD 839 billion for 2023, once approved with the amendments, will bar the Pentagon from providing any form of aid to Afghanistan.
Previously, Biden also issued a notice withdrawing the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally, depriving the nation of the benefits of the designation. The Taliban took control of the government last August when the United States and its NATO allies withdrew their military troops.
While the Taliban’s all-male administration imposed severe restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, including the mandatory hijab, travel restrictions, gender segregation rules, and the suspension of girls’ schools, the US has made it clear that no legitimacy and recognition is possible until the Taliban form an inclusive government.
The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan reflects systematic violations of rights directly resulting from the wilful adoption of measures and policies by the Taliban, aiming at erasing them completely from all spheres of public life. Afghan women had enjoyed unfettered freedom in the country for so many years but are now staring at a bleak future due to a number of restrictions imposed by the Taliban governing aspects of their lives within ten months of Afghanistan’s takeover. (ANI)
US believes OPEC can expand oil production, expects more steps soon
Washington [US], July 17 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States believes that the OPEC countries have the opportunity to increase oil production and expects that they will take steps in this direction in the upcoming weeks, US Senior Adviser for Energy Security Amos Hochstein said on Sunday. Hochstein accompanied US President Joe Biden on his trip to the Middle East, which included a visit to Saudi Arabia and the participation in the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Based on what we heard on the trip I’m pretty confident that we will see a few more steps in the upcoming weeks,” Hochstein said on “Face the Nation” CBS show.
The senior adviser recalled that OPEC countries had previously promised to expand oil production in July and August by 50% compared to the originally planned increase in quotas. “I believe there is still more room to see additional steps,” he added.
According to Hochstein, the US authorities expect that there will be an increase in production of the private oil sector by one million barrels per day in country by the end of the year. The government can then abandon the emergency supply intervention in the oil market, he added. (ANI/Sputnik)
