Biden will have ‘very strong relations’ with GCC, says senior US official

Tim Lenderking hopeful relations with the GCC will continue with same momentum under Biden administration

President-elect Joe Biden at election rally in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., November 7, 2020. REUTERS

Tim Lenderking, the deputy assistant secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs, expressed hope on Thursday that the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden would preserve “very strong relations” with the Gulf countries.

In a call with reporters, Mr Lenderking, who had recently returned from a trip to the Gulf, highlighted growing trade and security partnerships with the countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).

When asked by The National if these relations would continue with the same momentum under Mr Biden, despite anxieties related to Iran, the US official appeared hopeful.

“Regarding President-elect Biden, it is a conversation [about anxieties] that arises when one travels to the region,” he said. “I do think there is a certain consistency to American policy toward the [Gulf] region and that’s not to say things can’t change through different administrations but I am quite sure that the Biden administration will grasp the strategic importance of these bilateral relationships.”

He went on to stress Mr Biden’s four decade-long tenure in politics and knowledge of the GCC. “Mr Biden is no stranger to these countries. I am quite confident that we will go forward with very strong relations with all Gulf countries.”

On Iran specifically, he expected pressure to continue to encourage "different behaviour" from Tehran.

Mr Lenderking's trip to the region coincided with reports on a possible advance in the Qatar crisis, though he did not anticipate an imminent breakthrough. "I have seen various press reports about an announcement here and an announcement there, about GCC summits…I would leave it to the parties on what they are going to announce and when, if anything," Mr Lenderking told The National.

He added that the resolution to the dispute has to come from the GCC itself. “We have always felt if the dispute is to be resolved, it is going to take serious engagement by the parties themselves. We can help and have helped, [but] at the end of the day, the parties are going to have to figure out their own way forward.”

Mr Lenderking added however that the US continues to support rapprochement on the Qatar issue and hoped for the re-establishment of diplomatic relations as well as the re-opening of land and air borders between Doha and the countries boycotting it. “Now more than ever, it’s our view that the GCC unites against mutual threats,” he said.