CAIRO: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman left Saudi Arabia on Monday to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia and will visit other Asian states as part of the trip, state media said without specifying which countries.
His participation in the summit comes at a time of strained ties with the United States over energy supplies and the Russia-Ukraine conflict in addition to U.S. concern over growing Gulf ties with China, whose president is due to visit Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman postpones trip to Pakistan, other Asian countries
Biden does not plan a sit-down meeting with Prince Mohammed, who is also the kingdom’s prime minister, during the G20, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday.
Last month, Biden pledged to impose consequences on Saudi Arabia after the OPEC+ oil producer alliance agreed to cut output targets over U.S. objections, saying Riyadh was siding with Russia, which is an OPEC+ member.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has tried to remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, said the group’s decision was purely economic and aimed at ensuring oil market stability.
OPEC cuts oil demand growth forecast again as economic challenges mount
Biden met Prince Mohammed in July on a visit to Saudi Arabia that U.S. officials say discussed oil supplies. Ties had already been tense over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Yemen war and U.S. restrictions on arms sales to Riyadh.
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