Saudi prince visits EU for first time since Khashoggi killing
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Greece Tuesday and is due to head to France later this week, on his first Europe trip since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi's killing and dismemberment by Saudi agents in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in October 2018 brought the powerful crown prince international condemnation.
Prince Mohammed will meet with the leaders of both France and Greece "to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in various fields," the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a statement from the royal court.
The trip comes less than two weeks after US President Joe Biden visited the Saudi city of Jeddah for a summit of Arab leaders and met one-on-one with Prince Mohammed, greeting him with a fist bump.
That move sealed Biden's retreat from a presidential election campaign pledge to turn the kingdom into a "pariah" over the Khashoggi affair and wider human rights controversies.
US intelligence agencies determined that Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, had "approved" the operation that led to Khashoggi's death, though Riyadh denies this, blaming rogue operatives.
Prince Mohammed said the two countries would finalise a series of bilateral projects, including the installation of an electricity cable linking Saudi Arabia to Greece which will provide Europe "with much cheaper energy".
