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Prime Minister Olaf Scholz struck a deal with Abu Dhabi on fresh gas shipments during a two-day visit to the Gulf over the weekend, although pressure to address human rights concerns remains high.
Scholz visited the three Gulf regions, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, during his two-day visit from Saturday to Sunday, as the scramble for new sources intensified after Russia halted gas supplies to Germany.
That means Scholz is looking for a Gulf state that has come under international and German questioning over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, for which the U.S. Secret Service blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the treatment of migrants. Workers in Qatar ahead of this year’s football World Cup.
In Saudi Arabia, Scholz and bin Salman agreed to collaborate more closely on energy, including fossil fuels, hydrogen and renewables.
When asked by reporters if Khashoggi’s murder had been discussed, Scholz replied: “We talked about all the issues related to civil rights and human rights.”
Schultz’s visit, during which he shook hands with bin Salman, was widely seen as a rekindling of relations in the country, which had cooled after Khashoggi’s death.
Meanwhile, German energy giant RWE has struck a deal with the United Arab Emirates to make its first delivery of 137,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany by December, followed by shipments next year.
(Julia Damm | EURACTIV.de)
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