German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, accompanied by a large industry delegation, for a two-day Gulf tour that includes Qatar.
Mr Scholz was received at Jeddah airport by Prince Khalid Al Faisal, governor of Makkah region, Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan, and other senior officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He later met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was scheduled to meet a group of Saudi women.
The chancellor hopes to agree to new energy partnerships with the oil and gas-rich Gulf states after losing supplies from Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
Germany’s economy is already on the verge of a recession amid soaring prices and the prospect of a difficult winter after Russia halted gas shipments, which Germany relied on more than many of its neighbours.
German government sources say Berlin wants to extend co-operation on new technologies, such as green hydrogen produced using renewable energy, which Germany could import in vast quantities from Gulf states.
