Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – MEP Daniel Freund criticized European leaders for engaging with Saudi Crown Prince MBS, highlighting the need for justice for Jamal Khashoggi.
The leaders of the European Union and six Gulf nations assembled for an inaugural meeting on 16 Oct 2024 against a backdrop of unrest in the Middle East and struggles to find a suitable position on the war in Ukraine and ties with Russia. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman joined five other Gulf leaders for the historic summit with EU heads of state, raising hopes for a more robust partnership between the two blocs.
According to the EU, the meeting is an opportunity for the bloc to create a closer partnership with the GCC and its member states – the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.
What concerns are raised about engaging with authoritarian regimes?
MEP Daniel Freund from Greens/EFA MEP and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament‘s Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula remarked that the thought of European leaders smiling and shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a man allegedly responsible for the dismemberment of a journalist is deeply disturbing.
US intelligence agencies found in 2021 that the Saudi crown prince had authorised the murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who lived in exile in the US and was one of the regime’s strongest criticisers. The killing, torture and dismemberment of the dissident inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul pushed global horror, leaving the kingdom briefly an international pariah.
Also, MEP Daniel Freund stated that outrage and revulsion over the horrific violation of human rights should not be overlooked for the sake of quick deals with dictators. He emphasized that EU leaders must confront brutal authoritarianism wherever it exists and reaffirmed the continued demand for justice for Jamal Khashoggi.
