Saudi Arabia: Johnson says he raised human rights in energy talks

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he raised human rights when meeting Gulf leaders for talks about ending reliance on Russian oil and gas after the invasion of Ukraine.

He discussed energy security and other issues in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

He said a global coalition was needed "to deal with the new reality we face".

But critics have expressed concerns about the human rights records of the countries.

Last weekend, Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 81 men in one day, and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been implicated in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

On Wednesday, Saudi news agency SPA announced three further executions, in what the Reprieve group described as a "provocative act" designed to "flaunt the Crown Prince's power".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said "going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy".

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Mr Khashoggi, told the BBC Mr Johnson should not be "doing deals" with Crown Prince Salman unless he insisted "on the truth and justice for Jamal's murder".

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner told MPs Mr Johnson was on "a begging mission to the Saudi prince" after failing to invest in home-grown energy.

But Mr Johnson said if western countries wanted to "avoid being blackmailed" by Russia's President Vladimir Putin, they needed to move away from using his country's fossil fuels and explore other partnerships.

In the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Mr Johnson told the BBC he raised human rights and "what we can do to stabilise oil prices" in his meeting with Crown Prince Salman.

When asked if the recent executions were discussed, Mr Johnson said "in spite of the news that you've referred to, things are changing in Saudi Arabia", adding, "that's why we see value in the partnership".

Earlier, he pointed towards Saudi Arabia announcing a £1bn investment in green aviation fuel in the UK as "the kind of thing we want to encourage".

Mr Johnson landed at Abu Dhabi airport in the UAE, where he was met by British Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody.

He then travelled to the Saudi capital, where he met Crown Prince Salman and Saudi ministers.

Recent executions in Saudi Arabia have drawn criticism from MPs and human rights groups.

Tory MP Crispin Blunt said the executions left Mr Johnson with "exquisite difficulties" in asking Saudi Arabia for help with oil supplies.

One of the world's largest oil producers and influential on the international stage, Saudi Arabia is ruled by a monarchy which restricts political rights and civil liberties.

The rise of Crown Prince Salman as de-facto ruler in 2017 has seen moves towards liberalising some laws and diversifying the economy.

But the Saudi government's image has been damaged in recent years, particularly by the assassination of the prominent US-based journalist in 2018, Mr Khashoggi.

He was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia said he had been killed in a "rogue operation" by a team of agents sent to persuade him to return to the kingdom.

But a UN investigator concluded that Mr Khashoggi was "the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution" for which the Saudi state was responsible. Crown Prince Salman denied any role.