On the second day of his trip to the Arabian Peninsula, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar on Sunday. The focus will be on further cooperation in the energy sector, which should make it easier for Germany to break the dependency on Russian gas.
Qatar has the third largest gas reserves in the world after Russia and Iran and is the leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The UAE ranks sixth in oil and seventh in natural gas. “A whole series” of diesel and liquid gas projects have already been advanced with the Gulf State, said the SPD politician on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. He emphasized how important it is to rely on as many suppliers as possible for the energy supply. Dependence on one supplier “will certainly not happen to us again,” emphasized Scholz. But he is also interested in cooperation in the production of hydrogen.
A joint declaration is to be signed with the Emirates during the visit, with which the energy partnership is to be expanded to include climate protection aspects in particular. It is also expected that liquid gas deliveries will be agreed there. Economics Minister Robert Habeck had already announced this a few days ago. The Green politician was in the Gulf region himself in March to pave the way for gas supplies. So far, however, this has not resulted in concrete agreements. Until the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany still obtained 55 percent of its natural gas from Russia. Deliveries from there have now largely ceased and the German gas suppliers are looking for new sources of supply.
Is the World Cup in Qatar in good hands?
No contracts are expected in Qatar. The Chancellor’s talks in Doha could also be about the soccer World Cup, which will take place in the emirate from November 20th.
The choice of the venue is controversial because of the human rights situation there. Qatar is repeatedly criticized for systematic violations and the exploitation of migrants. The government has denied the allegations and is citing pro-worker reforms.
National coach Hansi Flick had criticized the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar just a few days ago. “This question should have been answered much earlier. And with a no,” he told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. “It’s obvious that there’s a lot that’s wrong in Qatar when it comes to human rights and sustainability.”
Scholz started his two-day trip to the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia on Saturday and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman there. He also addressed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
That’s how it should be. And you can be sure that there is nothing that needs to be said that has not gone unanswered.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“All questions” relating to civil and human rights had been “discussed,” he said after the conversation in the port city of Jeddah in response to a journalist’s question. “That’s how it should be. And you can be sure that nothing that needs to be said has gone unanswered.”
The crown prince is held responsible by the US secret service for the brutal murder of the Saudi government critic and journalist Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate General in Istanbul four years ago. The heir to the throne denies being the mastermind. The murder had led to Mohammed’s international isolation and plunged German-Saudi relations into a crisis that lasted for years.
Welcome to the Palace of Peace with a friendly smile
The Crown Prince and the Chancellor greeted each other in the Royal Palace of Peace (Al-Salam Palace) with a strong handshake and a friendly smile. With his visit, Scholz sets a sign of normalization.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has since resigned, and US President Joe Biden were Germany’s most important allies in Saudi Arabia before him. In July, the Crown Prince traveled to the EU for official meetings for the first time since the murder.
Scholz builds on this and wants to pick up the thread of the conversation again with a view to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences. For him, it’s about staying in dialogue with difficult partners so as not to lose them to countries like Russia or China.
Biden also asked the crown prince about the murder of Khashoggi during his visit to Jeddah in July. He then became clearer about the Crown Prince’s responsibility for the murder. “He (Mohammed) was basically saying that he wasn’t personally responsible for it. I indicated that I think he is,” Biden said at the time. (dpa)
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Source: Tagesspiegel
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