Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in Athens on his first European Union trip since the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
ADVERTISEMENTSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in Athens on his first European Union trip since the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Later this week he's due in France.
The aim of the visit according to the Saudi royal court is "to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in various fields".
One of the most pressing issues on the table is energy.
"I believe we have also historical opportunities that we are going to finalise a lot of it today, linking the grid of electricity which we can provide Greece and South West Europe through Greece with the much cheaper renewable energy," announced the Crown Prince. "Also we are working about hydrogen and how to turn Greece as a hub for Europe to hydrogen. That’s a game-changer for both of us."
The murder that shocked the world
The Crown Prince has been a pariah in the West since the killing of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in October 2018.
Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is sometimes referred to, has been strongly linked to the murder.
The trip to Europe comes less than two weeks after US President Joe Biden " fist-bumped" a greeting to MBS when they met for an Arab leaders summit in Jeddah.
Observers say that shows that the search for oil and gas supplies in the current energy crisis has forced the West to become more accepting of the Saudi Prince.