The British Prime Minister left for the UAE on Wednesday during a visit to the region, after which he is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia. He said an energy strategy would be in place soon.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency International Group, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, on Wednesday and was welcomed by British officials.
He said upon arrival in the UAE that “Next week we will set up an energy strategy in the Kingdom of England.”
The British Prime Minister paid a direct visit to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces.
British media reported last night that Johnson was scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia with a focus on increasing oil production. At the same time, the Saudi media and sources confirmed the news and wrote that Johnson will leave for Riyadh after Abu Dhabi.
The Guardian newspaper wrote before the British Prime Minister’s departure for the Persian Gulf that London intends to persuade Saudi Arabia and the UAE to produce more oil with the aim of putting pressure on Russia over the war against Ukraine.
Johnson’s visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia comes after US President Joe Biden’s calls to persuade Saudi and Emirati leaders to join them in anti-Russian sanctions failed.
The Wall Street Journal quoted senior US and Saudi officials as saying last Tuesday that the call was aimed at discussing international support for Ukraine and controlling rising world oil prices. The newspaper further wrote: “Expectations about a phone call were met but did not materialize.”
According to the report, Riyadh is asking Biden to intervene in the cases against the Saudis in the United States over the murder of “Jamal Khashgeji”, a critical Saudi journalist, in 2018.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Joe Biden had two phone calls with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladmir Zelinsky after rejecting a call from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. According to the Wall Street Journal, however, the two crown princes also received contacts from Vladimir Putin.