Sec. 18. Supporting structures that expand cooperation across regions in key areas
372 words·~2 min read·
/bill/118/s/2413/is/section-18·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: The United States has a strategic interest in fostering cross-regional cooperation and economic integration between partners in the Indo-Pacific region and partners in the Middle East and North Africa. Consistent with the strategic interest described in paragraph (1), the regional grouping known as the I2U2 comprising the governments of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States was formally established in October 2021. The I2U2 aligns like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region and the Middle East and North Africa on key mutual areas of cooperation, including water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.
The I2U2 complements other multilateral initiatives, including the Abraham Accords and the Negev Forum, by bringing together Israel and regional partners to address regional challenges and advance economic integration. By convening 4 major economies with advanced technology sectors, the I2U2 provides a forum to increase cooperation on the development and deployment of advanced energy technologies and promote energy security. In May 2023, senior officials from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss cross-regional infrastructure development, rail transportation, and connectivity.
It is the sense of Congress that— the United States should— build on the initiatives outlined at the inaugural I2U2 leaders’ summit on July 14, 2022, to address food security and energy security needs in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia; work through the I2U2 framework to promote resilience in the Indo-Pacific region to bolster energy security; encourage private sector investment and business-to-business cooperation through initiatives like the I2U2 Business Forum; encourage academic cooperation and exchanges among scholars working in India, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel to develop advanced energy technologies; and encourage further regional initiatives, such as Project Prosperity, to promote regional integration and resilience in the face of increasing water and energy shortages; and the Secretary of State should— explore additional areas of cooperation between United States partners in the Middle East and North Africa and United States partners in the Indo-Pacific region to broaden strategic alignment across a range of important security, economic, and other issues; and consider expansion of the I2U2 to include other key partners in regional integration, including Saudi Arabia.