Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

i24 News – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that he wants to deepen the energy partnership with Saudi Arabia after a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Scholz, accompanied by a sizable industry delegation, was received at Jeddah airport on the Red Sea coast by Mecca region’s governor Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Scholz said the partnership should go beyond fossil fuels to include hydrogen and renewable energies.

Germany has been heavily dependent on Russia for gas until recently and is now seeking to diversify its energy supply after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

Scholz, who is on a two-day trip to the Gulf, said he also addressed issues involving civil rights in talks with Salman after German politicians called on him to do so in a Saturday article in Der Spiegel.

When asked if the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was discussed, Scholz replied, “You can assume that nothing was left unsaid,” according to Reuters. 

Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul four years ago triggered a global outcry and put pressure on Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.

A US intelligence report released a year ago said the prince had approved the operation to kill or capture Khashoggi. Still, the Saudi government denied any involvement by the crown prince and rejected the report’s findings.

Scholz is also scheduled to meet a group of Saudi women before heading to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday evening and then to Qatar on Sunday.