Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the EU has imposed sanctions on Moscow oil and sought new energy sources. However, a report has pointed to the bloc’s hypocrisy as European leaders meet heads of dictatorships and countries that violate human rights.
French President Emmanuel Macron received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday.
It was the Saudi crown prince’s first trip to Europe since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi was murdered in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in what a UN investigation described as an “extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible”.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne urged Macron to voice his human rights concerns, but also try to boost Saudi oil production amid mounting Western concerns about energy shortages this winter.
In a report on “blood for oil” deals between the EU and other countries, Politico mockingly ranked an energy deal with Saudi Arabia at four out of five.
They noted that Saudi oil accounts for less than 10 percent of total imports into Europe, but added that “the country has a lot to say about what OPEC does, and thus the state of the global market”.
However, they also noted that a “Saudi-led coalition is continuing a bloody war in Yemen that has left thousands dead” and “Saudi authorities repress dissidents and human rights activists”.
According to the Human Freedom Index 2021, which measures the “state of human freedom in the world based on a broad measure that includes personal, civil and economic freedom,” Saudi Arabia ranks 155th out of 165 countries on the list.
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In a report on “blood for oil” deals between the EU and other countries, Politico mockingly ranked an energy deal with Saudi Arabia at four out of five.
They noted that Saudi oil accounts for less than 10 percent of total imports into Europe, but added that “the country has a lot to say about what OPEC does, and thus the state of the global market”.
However, they also noted that a “Saudi-led coalition is continuing a bloody war in Yemen that has left thousands dead” and “Saudi authorities repress dissidents and human rights activists”.
According to the Human Freedom Index 2021, which measures the “state of human freedom in the world based on a broad measure that includes personal, civil and economic freedom,” Saudi Arabia ranks 155th out of 165 countries on the list.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in July and agreed to send even more gas to Germany along with hydrogen as part of a cooperation agreement.
On July 19, the official German website deutschland.de announced that the Egyptian leader had offered Germany and Europe more cooperation to secure energy supplies.
It added: “Scholz and Al-Sisi confirmed that they had also discussed the topic of human rights.
“Scholz said nothing about details, for example about political prisoners in Egypt.”
Fattah el-Sisi was also in Paris with Macron to discuss the “economic, energy and global food security implications of the conflict (Russia and Ukraine)” on July 22.
Ms von der Leyen also announced a deal in June to get more gas from Egypt to Europe.
NOT MISSING
Politico noted Egypt’s poor human rights record, citing Human Rights Watch’s report on the country.
“Tens of thousands of government critics, including journalists and human rights defenders, are still incarcerated on politically motivated charges,” Human Rights Watch noted.
The French president was also urged by Reporters Without Borders to raise the fate of Alaa Abdel Fattah and of the 22 journalists arbitrarily detained in Egypt ahead of the meeting.
The Human Freedom Index places Egypt as the fourth worst country in the world, at 161st, while Politico has the country three out of five on its “blood for oil” index.
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in July.
During a trip to Baku earlier this month, Ms von der Leyen signed a deal to increase deliveries by 50 percent to 12 billion cubic meters (bcm), and then to 20 bcm “in a few years”.
Politico noted that Azerbaijan “has its problems”, citing the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Aliyev’s human rights abuses as leader, and claims of “election fraud, curtailing press freedom and arresting and beating opposition activists”.
The Human Freedom Index places Azerbaijan in 127th place and Politico ranks it three out of five for “blood for oil”.
Politico gave Russia five out of five on the “blood for oil” index, saying of the country: “Relations with Russia are in the dustbin as Putin’s army continues to pound Ukrainian cities and slaughter civilians.
“The US Senate unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.”