Biden reiterates commitment to Middle East at Saudi summit

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Jul 16 (EFE).- United States president Joe Biden on Saturday said Washington remained committed to the Middle East and would not leave a void to be filled by rival powers.

Biden spoke at a summit of Gulf states in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah as he brought a trip to the region, his first since taking office, to a close.

He said the US would not “walk away” from the Middle East and “leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran.”

“We will seek to build on this moment with active, principled, American leadership,” he added at the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The meeting convened the leaders of the GCC+3 — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. EFE

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