Biden speaks at the United Nations General Assembly
(Video: REuters)
US President Joe Biden took the podium Tuesday afternoon at the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During his speech, Biden said that the US will continue to work non-stop for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, based on a two-state solution. He noted that the US is interested in establishing normalization between Israel and Arab countries, with the aim of making the Middle East a more cohesive and stable region.
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Biden emphasized that the normalization process and Israel's economic ties with its neighbors bring with it positive effects, at the same time as he spoke of the process to establish "two states for two peoples." In his speech, Biden mentioned the G20 summit held this month, where he announced an "economic corridor" of railways and trade routes that would link India with the Middle East and Europe - and pass through Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Israel.
At the beginning of his speech, Biden said that as president of the United States he is aware of his role, and the role of Washington, in the international arena. "Our future involves your future," he told the leaders at the UN General Assembly Tuesday afternoon. "No country can face challenges alone today," emphasized the American president as he spoke about the cooperation between the countries of the world. He said that the US is interested in a safer, more prosperous and more equal world for all.
Biden is the second leader on the list of speakers at the convention. The leader who opened the round of speeches is the president of Brazil, Luiz Incio Lula-da Silva . Later in the evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , King Abdullah of Jordan , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will address the assembly.
Jake Sullivan, the White House's national security adviser, said over the weekend that Biden will use his speech at the UN General Assembly to "promote a vision of American leadership, which is based on the foundational assumption of cooperation with others to solve the world's most pressing problems.
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The United Nations General Assembly is meeting in New York
(Photo: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In his speech, Biden called on the United Nations to "stand up against Russian aggression" in Ukraine and stated that "Russia believes that the world will tire and allow Ukraine to be brutalized without consequences." Regarding surrendering to Russia's aggression and its occupation of Ukraine, today the American president told world leaders: "If we allow the division of Ukraine, will the independence of any country be secure? The answer is no."
He also stated that the climate crisis is an "existential threat to all humanity," and referred to the forest fires that raged this summer around the world and the recent natural disasters in North Africa.
On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the annual rally in New York, Biden will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their meeting will be held in the shadow of the tensions between the Netanyahu government and the White House against the backdrop of the judicial overhaul. Netanyahu's speech at the annual UN General Assembly is scheduled for Friday.