President Joe Biden plans a scheduled KSA trip to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an attempt to convince him to increase oil production so the energy crisis will be less severe.
The prince was castigated by then-presidential aspirant Joe Biden as the prime suspect in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and vowed to make him a pariah in the 2020 US Elections.
A Crucial Trip for Biden
From July 13 to July 16, Biden will go to the Middle East with his first stop in Israel, West Bank, and last Saudi Arabia. President Joe Biden stated what his trip meant in an op-ed, reported RT.
Key reasons cited why the Saudi trip is vital despite bin Salman's alleged abrupt and dismissive attitude.
In an op-ed written by the Washington Post last Saturday night, he countered critics who consider the president not up to the task. Citing human rights is on the agenda but keeping the US solid and secure, which includes the Middle East to benefit Americans.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the key nations needed to counter Russia's aggression, but the kingdom does not quarrel with Moscow. Another is to beat China's rise, whose presence is felt in the Middle East. The US thinks it can convince Saudi officials to drop China totally, noted Azerbaycan 24.
Getting the nod of Saudis, who have been key allies in the region for 80 years, is crucial. The region's routes are needed for global trade and shipping and to make up for Russian oil after the Ukraine conflict.
He claims that KSA and other oil producers have relented enough to help the US after Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was accused of murder be turned into a pariah.
The US leader indicated that violence end extremism would not happen if the US were part of diplomacy.
Bin Salman Blamed for Khashoggi's Death
His administration had changed its blank-check approach concerning Riyadh, releasing the intelligence assessment on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.
The Crown Saudi Prince was accused as the mastermind, and sanctions were supposed to be imposed. Later Riyadh said it was rogue security agents who did it.
A statement from the White House remarked the US government will not condone any threat to dissidents and activists by any government and recognizes KSA's achievements internationally.
The op-ed contrasted the policies of the Biden White House in the Middle East to that of Donald Trump. He had easier ties to the region's leaders compared to his predecessor, such as the Abraham Accords, which were forgotten when Trump left office.
Relations with bin Salman have been rocky as the meeting will be tense after the vow to the prince to pay for Khashoggi's killing. If the Crown Prince rebuffs him, it will be another setback for the US.
President Joe Biden has a lot riding on the KSA trip to convince Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help; unfortunately, he drove a wedge and accused the prince of murder when the US needed oil badly.
