US President Joe Biden to visit Saudi Arabia
U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Saudi Arabia today as part of a four-day visit to the Middle East.
During the visit, Biden is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). In defense of the highly controversial meeting with MBS, President Biden has stated that his stance on human rights has not changed but he hopes to promote U.S. interests and stability in the region. This comes as another step towards potentially mending relations between Washington and Riyadh that were damaged following the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
In a press conference held on Thursday, Biden did not commit to bringing up Khashoggi in the meeting with MBS, instead reasserting that his position has already been made clear and will not change. Earlier this year, the Biden administration transferred a number of Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia, in a departure from a previous move to remove the Patriot missiles back in September.
Despite high political risks associated with meeting MBS, Biden appears to be keen on improving relations with Saudi Arabia in order to increase U.S. influence in the region, which has been threatened by China, and to put pressure on Iran to agree to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
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