Germany's Scholz meets Saudi's crown prince in Gulf tour

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday on the first stop of his first official visit to the Gulf.

Scholz shared a firm handshake with the de facto leader of the Gulf state as they met in the port city of Jeddah.

Mohammed has been blamed by U.S. intelligence for ordering the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi four years ago. The crown prince denies having authorized the crime.

The murder led to the crown prince being largely isolated internationally, including by Germany.

A meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Jeddah as well as a trip to the European Union in July, during which he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, have initiated a normalization of his relations with Western leaders.

Scholz's visit has been seen by observers to be part of this process.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said when the trip was announced that the crime would "certainly play a role" in Scholz's talks with the Saudi leader.

Scholz is also set to travel to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the World Cup will be held later this year.

Government sources told dpa that while Scholz tour of the Arabian Peninsula will be mainly about discussing ways out of Germany's energy crisis, he will also address the human rights situation and security issues.

It remained unclear whether agreements on the import of gas or, in the longer term, hydrogen from the region to Germany will be reached during the visit.

Scholz's government has not approved any arms exports to Saudi Arabia since it came to power in December, according to information provided by the Economy Ministry.

Before the change of government, 30 export licences worth €2.52 million ($2.44 million) had been issued in 2021 despite a far-reaching export ban for the kingdom.

The former conservative-led government had largely stopped arms exports to Saudi Arabia because of the kingdom's involvement in the Yemen war, but also because of the Khashoggi's murder.

On Sunday, the second day of his trip to the region, Scholz visits Qatar, a small but rich emirate with whom Berlin has been trying to secure a gas deal. Qatar will host football's World Cup starting in November.