During his planned trip to the Middle East in July, US President Joe Biden said he would convene a meeting in Saudi Arabia together with several other countries in the region that will pertain to "Israel's national security interests."
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The US president, who was speaking to reporters outside before boarding Air Force One, will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel next month and the White House is planning to announce the trip this week, a source familiar with the planning told Reuters on Sunday.
The visit, which is expected to take place around mid-July, could include a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the source said.
At present, there are no indications that representatives from Israel will attend the meeting in question.
Biden denied the trip would be to try to lower gasoline prices in the United States.
"The commitments from the Saudis don't relate to anything having to do with energy," Biden said. "It happens to be a larger meeting taking place in Saudi Arabia. That's the reason I'm going. And it has to do with national security for them – for Israelis."
The US president added: "I have a program, anyway. It has to do with much larger issues than having to do with the energy price."
When Biden's visit was still expected to take place at the end of June, it was reported that the trip would include a summit of Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, as well as Saudi Arabia.
The summit would follow bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening defense ties between Israel and the Arab countries, with the Pentagon's involvement, in a bid to thwart threats from Iran and its proxies in the region.
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said, "We continue to plan for a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, have no further trip details to confirm but will announce as soon as we do."
"The trip comes in the context of a significant agenda with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the other countries of the Middle East," the spokesperson continued. "That agenda is focused on delivering results for the American people as well as ending wars and leading through diplomacy to bring stability to the Middle East region."
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