German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for a 48-hour visit to three Gulf states to try to forge energy partnerships there, Saudi public broadcaster Al-Ekhbariya reported. Olaf Scholz, who is accompanied by a large delegation from many economic sectors, was received at Jeddah airport on the Red Sea coast by the governor of the Mecca region, Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud.
In Saudi Arabia, the second oil-producing country behind the United States, Olaf Scholz must notably meet on Saturday the crown prince and de facto leader of the Kingdom Mohammed bin Salman, known as “MBS”. He must also meet with a group of Saudi women, before going to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday evening, then to Qatar on Sunday.
The race for black gold
Like French President Emmanuel Macron or former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson before him, Olaf Scholz is making this trip in the midst of a race against time to find new suppliers to compensate for Russian gas deliveries which have almost dried up.
This trip to the three countries, “important regional players”, could thus result in the signing of contracts, in particular in the Emirates for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). “We are going to finalize ambitious proposals,” assured an adviser to Olaf Scholz, without wanting to say more at this stage.
Oil ok, but human rights in all this?
Amnesty International has criticized the German Chancellor’s trip to Saudi Arabia and in particular his meeting with “MBS”, criticized on the international scene after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey in 2018.
“The German Chancellor should not be silent on human rights violations”, according to Amnesty International. The chancellor should, assures those around him, address the issue of human rights and the status of women with the Saudi prince.
Angela Merkel’s successor will be received on Sunday by the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, then the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.