White House Expects Middle East to Cooperate With US, Not Russia or China
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Countries of the Middle East are expected to give preference to the United States, not Russia or China, when it comes to various areas of cooperation, a senior US administration official said during a background press call on Saturday.
"...when it comes to the partnerships and the partnerships of choice, and particularly in the security realm, but also in the trade, investment, commerce, tech realm, we heard from every capital around this region that their first choice, their priority, is the United States of America," the official said as quoted in a White House release.
The official claimed that about 18 months ago there has been "a real drift" towards Russia and China in many countries of the Middle East, but this tendency "has been arrested and, in many instances… reversed."
The White House official said that Washington will look for various possible areas of cooperation with countries of the Middle East, although the region’s ties with Russia and China will continue.
"...these countries have relationships with Iran [sic]. They have relationships with China. That is natural. That is something that will continue. I'm sorry, relationships with Russia and relations with China is something natural and will continue," the official said.
U.S. President Joe Biden, center left, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, center, arrive for the family photo during the "GCC+3" (Gulf Cooperation Council) meeting at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah Saturday, July 16, 2022
© AP Photo / Mandel Ngan
US President Joe Biden concluded his Middle East tour on Saturday with his participation in the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. On Friday, Biden departed Israel on a historic direct flight to Jeddah, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
A senior Saudi official told Al Arabiya on Saturday that the Crown Prince told Biden during their meeting that if Washington wants to have relations only with countries that share 100% of US values, then it will end up only having NATO states left to cooperate with.
