In this photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, shakes hands with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Sept 24, 2022.
BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived Saturday in Saudi Arabia for the first stop of a two-day, three-country visit to the Middle East aimed at striking new energy deals and forging fresh alliances amid the economic and geopolitical turmoil resulting fromThe German government has scrambled to wean Europe’s biggest economy off Russian oil, coal and gas since coming to office last December.
While imports from Russia have declined sharply since then, there are fears that Germany, like other European countries, couldBridging the gap in natural gas supplies is a particular concern and one of the reasons Scholz is also heading to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar together with a high-level business delegation, senior officials said.
The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of the trip, said Scholz would raise human rights issues when he meets Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.Photos released by the oil-rich kingdom’s official news agency showed the two men greeting each other with a hearty handshake and smiles before sitting down for talks beneath a large portrait of King Salman.
I coulda sworn I read somewhere Germany was headed for energy independence
قال المستشار_الألماني أولاف شولتز ، يوم السبت ، بعد اجتماع مع ولي_العهد_السعودي الأمير محمد بن سلمان ، إنه يريد تعميق شراكة الطاقة بين البلدين.