Notwithstanding the recent criticism of Washington from European partners, American President Joe Biden affirmed that America was committed to international cooperation.

Above all through the United Nations, he adds - be it in the fight against the pandemic, in climate protection or in the defense of human rights.

In his first speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the President emphasized that since he took office eight months ago he had set about strengthening America's alliances again.

He mentions NATO, he mentions Asian cooperation forums and also the European Union.

America has renewed its cooperation with the EU, he says.

Current upsets are not mentioned.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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Without naming China, Biden then says, instead of waging wars of the past, his country is facing the challenges of the present, including changes in global power structures, which is why America is turning to the Indo-Pacific region.

You will stand on the side of allies who threatened to be dominated by larger powers.

Then: America will face the competition with great strength.

But: "We are not striving for a new Cold War" or a world divided into blocks.

And: America will not act alone, but with its partners.

Turn to the Indo-Pacific

Even before the speech, the White House announced that the President wanted to make it clear that America was back at the table in international politics. After Donald Trump's turbulent presidency ended, many partners had expected multilateralism to be strengthened - and with it the United Nations. Biden had promised when he took office that America would be back, which he repeated on Monday when he met UN Secretary General António Guterres. But the signals that Washington recently sent irritated some allies in Europe - in one case even extremely angry.

There was the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, about which some Europeans had complained anyway that they had not been adequately consulted. Then, last week, Biden announced a new Indo-Pacific alliance with Great Britain and Australia, an alliance that was secretly negotiated and resulted in a submarine deal between Canberra and Paris collapsing. Relations between the three Anglo-Saxon states and France have been heavily strained since then. In addition, elsewhere in the European Union, especially in Berlin, where Biden's tougher stance towards China was viewed with skepticism from the start, the AUKUS initiative cannot be understood as a signal that Biden is interested in closer cooperation.

The dispute also overshadows the UN week, in which the new session of the General Assembly opens. A meeting of foreign ministers for the transatlantic quad format, which includes America, Great Britain, France and Germany, was originally planned for Wednesday. However, because of the dispute over the failed submarine deal, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian canceled his participation. As was learned in New York, Germany then decided, out of solidarity with France, not to hold the meeting in groups of three. On Tuesday, despite further attempts by Washington to appease Paris, it looked like the encounter would not take place.

For his part, Biden sends out signals that express his will to strengthen the alliance system in the Indo-Pacific region: for example, he wanted to meet Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister, and later - after returning to Washington - with the British Boris Johnson, i.e. with the Partners of the new AUKUS alliance. A first personal top meeting of the Indo-Pacific quad format is planned for Friday, which will include Biden and Morrison, the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the Indian Narendra Modi. For Washington, everything now revolves around China.