British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is welcomed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a one-day visit to Riyadh on 16 March 2022 (Reuters/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday as part of a whistlestop Gulf tour to lobby for higher oil production after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent markets into turmoil.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman also attended the meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Press Agency said, adding that Saudi Arabia and the UK discussed the conflict in Ukraine and other regional and international issues.
Johnson, one of the few western leaders to visit Riyadh since the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, touched down after talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates, another oil-rich Gulf state.
The UK leader is attempting to rein in oil prices, which had soared to nearly $140 a barrel before dropping below $100, and help end the West's dependency on Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine.
His visit coincides with fresh condemnation of Saudi Arabia's human rights record after 81 people were put to death in a mass execution on Saturday. Rights groups questioned whether they had received fair trials before the largest mass execution in the country's modern history.
Labour leader Keir Starmer criticised the visit. “Obviously there’s a real energy crisis in terms of the cost at the moment, so anything that brings the cost down now is a step in the right direction, whatever it is,” he said, “but going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy.”
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, told the BBC that Johnson should not be "doing deals" with Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, unless he insisted "on the truth and justice for Jamal's murder".
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Johnson met MBS, the de facto Saudi leader, after discussing "the stability of the global oil markets" with Mohammed bin Zayed, according to the UAE's official WAM news agency.
"The leaders welcomed the long-standing partnership between our two countries and discussed opportunities to increase collaboration between the UK and UAE on energy security, green technology, and trade," a Downing Street spokesperson said in London.
Before leaving for Riyadh, Johnson promised to raise human rights issues with Prince Mohammed, but also stressed Britain's "very important relationship" with the Gulf.
"It's not just a question of looking at the OPEC countries and what they can do to increase supply, though that is important," Johnson told British media.
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