On a two-day tour to the Gulf area, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will first stop in Saudi Arabia. He will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
Scholz warns that Saudi Arabia will be a “tough partners”
But when it comes to issues of human rights, there are significant distinctions. Those close to the chancellor say he will encounter “tough partners” on the trip.
On Saturday night, Scholz will leave for the United Arab Emirates and go on to Qatar. Both are major energy exporters, like Saudi Arabia. Contracts for the delivery of gas or, in the medium and long terms, hydrogen from the area to Germany were still up in the air before the journey. We will bring ambitious plans to a finish,” the Chancellor’s office attitude read. However, the excursion shouldn’t turn into nothing more than an “energy buying tour.” Scholz has eleven other high-ranking executives with him. Companies such as Airbus, Thyssenkrupp, and Siemens Energy have sent representatives to the summit.
Relationship between Germany and Saudi Arabia on ice
The ultra-conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has come under fire for its treatment of human rights activists despite some recent advances.
Scholz was tasked with discussing the state of press freedom in the aforementioned three nations by Reporters Without Borders (ROG). “If he is serious about doing business with these regimes, however, he must insist that their leaders respect the independence of the media as a basic human right.
Press briefings including both the Chancellor and his interlocutors are not scheduled for every stop on the journey. The German side claims that despite their best efforts, they were unable to persuade their counterparts of this.
However, the oil sector is anticipating more long-term benefits from the trip, like as increased gas exports from the Gulf area. Germany and the rest of Europe will need to rely on hydrogen imports. Hence, it is even more crucial to complete international alliances early on “A statement made by Kerstin Andreae, General Manager of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries.
