It is in Greece that his journey begins. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) had not set foot in Europe since 2018, after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, of which he was found guilty by the CIA and Turkish justice. If he makes a first diplomatic escapade on July 26 in Athens, he will then go to France to meet Emmanuel Macron there. Does this trip mark the end of international isolation?
An energy cable to link Saudi Arabia to Greece
After Joe Biden’s visit to the Saudi city of Jeddah, it’s Mohammed bin Salman’s turn to travel; this time he will meet the Greek and French leaders “to discuss bilateral relations and ways to improve them in various fields”as reported in a press release from the royal court.
This Tuesday, July 26, the Saudi leader met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. During the discussion, the two leaders wished to discuss a series of bilateral projects, including theinstallation of an electric cable linking Saudi Arabia to Greece. According to MBS, this would provide “much cheaper energy” to Europe.
For its part, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its desire to conclude agreements on maritime transport, energy and defense technologies; these must be signed this Wednesday, July 27. In this regard, the Greek leader pointed out: “We will sign important agreements and we will have the opportunity to discuss regional developments further”.
In short, significant concerns in times of war and energy crisis.
See also: Russian gas: Europe is preparing minds for a “war economy”
A return marked by the energy crisis?
The “check” between Joe Biden and MBS had already been commented on on social networks. If the relationship between Washington and Riyadh has sometimes been strained, especially when the American intelligence services pointed the finger at the responsibility of the Saudi prince in the death of Khashoggi in 2018, it seems to be improving.
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After the ostracization of the Saudi Crown Prince by Western countries, MBS’s visit to Europe is highly symbolic… and decried. It bears witness to a European desire to go beyond the “divisions of the past”.
See also: Erdogan in Saudi Arabia, a first since the Khashoggi affair
So if Saudi Arabia has been a “Outcast State”, it is now taking it upon itself to develop an energy strategy in the context of the war in Ukraine and, in factimpact on energy prices.
Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Western countries have increased pressure on Ryad to open the floodgates in order to relieve the energy and oil markets. But the first crude exporting country resisted for a long time, in particular “invoking its commitment to OPEC+”, as evidenced by an article from TF1. If this oil alliance is co-led with Russia, the allied countries have criticized Saudi Arabia for having doubled its imports of Russian fuel oil between April and June 2022.
If the kingdom has held out so far, despite Western coercion, the French president had received the new president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed ben Zayed, on Monday July 18. The two heads of state met “for cooperation in the field of energy supply” via an agreement between Total Energies, the French energy giant, and ADNOC, the Emirati state oil company.
See also: Oil: Macron signs energy agreements with the United Arab Emirates