French President Emmanuel Macron has chosen to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite the controversy over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Furthermore, the visit has been met with criticism as the crown prince is staying in the "world's most expensive home," a chateau built by the murder victim's cousin. The home, the Chateau Louis XIV in Louveciennes, is found outside Paris and is a newly-built mansion intended to mimic the extravagant luxury of the nearby Versailles Palace.
Macron Hosts Saudi Crown Prince
The trip is part of a continuing Western attempt to court the major-oil producing state amid the war between Russia and Ukraine. It also comes as talks with Iran over the possibility of reviving a nuclear deal have faltered.
The Thursday visit came two weeks after he held talks in Saudi Arabia with United States President Joe Biden. The Saudi Crown Prince also made a stop in Greece before heading to the France capital for the discussions, as per Aljazeera.
Western authorities are eager to reset relations with the Gulf Arab oil giant as it seeks to counter the rising regional influence of Iran, Russia, and China. However, French opposition figures and human rights groups have criticized Macron's decision to invite bin Salman to dinner at the Elysee Palace.
It comes in the wake of the gruesome murder of Khashoggi by a team of Saudi agents in October 2018. The United Nations conducted a probe that described the crime as an "extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible."
According to France24, the topics of the meeting are expected to include energy supply as concern grows over potential supply shortage as Russia cuts off some regions from gas deliveries. The Saudi Crown Prince, who is universally known as MBS, is portrayed at home as a champion of social and economic reform.
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The Killing of Jamal Khashoggi
However, critics see him as a murderous tyrant, with Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard saying that he is "profoundly troubled" by the visit. He said it is because of what they mean for the world and for Khashoggi.
On Thursday, the fiancee of the late Khashoggi expressed outrage at MBS' visit to France, saying that she is "scandalized and outraged" that Macron is receiving the crown prince with honors.
The trip also marks MBS' first trip to the European Union since the murder of the journalist as the UN probe noted that there was "credible evidence" warranting further investigation. Furthermore, U.S. intelligence agencies determined that MBS had "approved" the operation that led to Khashoggi's death, though Riyadh denies this accusation and instead blames rogue operatives.
Khashoggi's murder drew outrage not just over the killing of a prominent critic of the Saudi regime, but also for the manner in which it was carried out. The journalist was lured into the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2, 2018, where he was reportedly strangled and dismembered with a bonesaw.
Callamard added that MBS' reception by world leaders is "all the more shocking given many of them at the time expressed disgust (over the killing) and a commitment not to bring MBS back into the international community."
The massive 7,000-square-meter property that MBS is staying in was bought by an undisclosed buyer in 2015 for $300 million at the time. Two years after the purchase, 36-year-old bin Salman was reported to be the ultimate owner via a series of shell companies, CBS News reported.
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