US president Barack Obama says governments across the Middle East that make a “commitment to justice and human rights” will continue to have a friend in America.

Speaking via video link at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Obama also addressed the ongoing strife shaking the Middle East in the years following the 2011 Arab Spring, The National reported on Monday.

“As we’ve seen in the tumult across the Middle East and North Africa, when governments do not lift up their citizens, it’s a recipe for instability and strife,” he told the summit.

World leaders have gathered for several days of talks about the future of governance.

Sourec: MENA