Sheikh Mohamed, Biden pledge to de-escalate, end conflicts across the region

The United States President has reaffirmed his commitment to support the UAE in defending itself against terrorist attacks, including the one which targeted civilian sites in the Emirates in January 2022.

Presidents His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Joe Biden met for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Arab Summit in Jeddah on Saturday.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed a range of regional and global opportunities and challenges, which require close coordination between the nations as strategic partners.

The US President expressed appreciation for Sheikh Mohamed's leadership in breaking barriers, forging diplomatic relations with Israel, and deepening cooperation with other countries in the region. The leaders also discussed the US’s role in helping develop new economic, trade, and people-to-people relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, as well as deepening the ties between these states and Egypt and Jordan through new frameworks of cooperation.

US lauds UAE's efforts in pursuing regional stability

The two leaders affirmed their commitment to deepen the extensive security cooperation. Biden noted that the UAE is the only country in the Middle East to have deployed its military forces alongside the US army in every international security coalition involving the US since Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-1991. The two leaders acknowledged the close and decades-long cooperation in their nations’ shared mission to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

Biden also emphasised the centrality of the UAE as a strategic partner and as a critical part of the security partnership among the GCC states, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also confirmed that the United States is the primary security partner for the Emirates, and the two leaders intend to accelerate and intensify discussions to enhance these historic ties further. The leaders committed to continue the close cooperation that led to a truce in Yemen, now entering its 15th week. They expressed their appreciation for the valuable work of the GCC, the US Special Envoy, and the UN in achieving the truce. They committed their full efforts toward guiding the parties forward in a political process that can realise a lasting settlement to the conflict.

Biden emphasised the threats still emanating from Yemen and elsewhere and the importance of ensuring that the UAE has the best and most effective means to defend its homeland and people.

The leaders committed to continue to use their collective diplomatic standing to de-escalate and end conflicts elsewhere in the region. They discussed the importance of protecting the prospects of a two-state solution and assuring that the Abraham Accords' benefits also accrue to Palestinians. They reaffirmed their support for Iraq and welcomed the landmark agreements to connect Iraq’s electricity grid to those of the GCC member states and other projects further integrating Iraq into the greater region.

On economics, commerce, and trade relations

Biden noted that the UAE is one of the fastest growing US economic partnerships globally and a significant investor in the US economy.

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 and new investments in Jordan and Egypt.

The leaders tasked their teams with finding areas to deepen and expand commercial partnerships, as well as negotiating a broader strategic framework agreement between the UAE and the United States. President Biden recognised 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.

The US leader congratulated Sheikh Mohamed on his recent election as UAE President and extended him an invitation to visit the US later this year.