Saudi mass executions glossed over for oil
3 Min Read
Boris Johnson disregards Saudi executions in exchange for oil to stabilize domestic petroleum prices.
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Johnson said there was a lot of agreement with Mohammad bin Salman
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Saudi Arabia could speed up its oil production to help stabilize Britain's spiraling energy prices.
Amid a rising cost of living and surging energy prices at home, compounded by Western countries' sanctions on Russia and their attempts to cut their reliance on it, the UK's Prime Minister headed to Saudi Arabia to plead with its leaders to ramp up their supply.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammad bin Zayed had declined US requests to speak to the US President in recent weeks.
It appears that the Saudi and Emirati officials have become more critical of US policy in the Gulf and don't want to address US concerns amid rising oil prices.
Three more executed
The UK Prime Minister said there was "a lot of agreement" in his meeting with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and said that efforts should be made to make sure that “the global economy is not damaged by the current spikes."
That same day, the Saudi government executed three more citizens, just a few days after its mass execution of 81 people. UK government sources said Johnson wanted to draw little attention to his visit, heavily restricting its media coverage.
Johnson was not able to confirm any firm commitment after his tour in Saudi Arabia and the UAE but said he made the case of why the two countries should try to stabilize prices to avoid a 1970s-style energy crisis.
UK Former Labour Head and MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn had condemned Saudi Arabia's mass execution on March 14, demanded that Johnson cancel his visit to "the Saudi regime", and asked him to also cancel an arms deal with the government "that had taken so many lives at home and in Yemen."
Britain's Foreign Office expressed its "shock" by Saudi Arabia's mass execution and stressed that it is strongly opposed to the death penalty under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, British PM Boris Johnson's official spokesperson defended Johnson's plans to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the hope that Saudi Arabia's oil and gas production can be increased to reduce reliance on Russia.
