RIYADH: On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman departed for France and Greece. Prince Mohammed will speak about bilateral relations and topics of shared interest. His most recent official trip outside of the Middle East was to Japan in 2019 for the G20 meeting.
Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, would meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to the Greek Foreign Ministry. According to a diplomatic source in Greece, bilateral agreements in the fields of energy, military cooperation, and an undersea data cable will also be signed.
The fact that Mitsotakis was among the Western leaders who went to Riyadh caused a stir in the West and damaged the prince’s reputation as a reformer who wanted to liberalise Saudi Arabia.In an effort to reduce tension with Riyadh, US President Joe Biden met with Prince Mohammed during a trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month. French President Emanuel Macron also paid a visit to Riyadh last year.
