Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suddenly postpones Malaysia and Indonesia visits
- No reasons given for last minute postponement of visits, during which prince was expected to sign several agreements
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has delayed his arrival in Pakistan and postponed trips to Indonesia and Malaysia, the foreign ministries for both Southeast Asian countries confirmed on Saturday. He was due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday and Jakarta on Monday.
No new dates have been set and no reasons given for the postponement of the trips, during which he was expected to sign several agreements. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia will continue to communicate on a new schedule for a visit and better outcome, the ministry in Jakarta said on its website.
The prince – the kingdom’s de facto ruler – is also scheduled to visit China, India and Pakistan as part of an Asian tour where he is expected to sign a slew of bilateral investment agreements.
Pakistani officials said on Saturday the prince’s visit had been delayed by a day, another sudden announcement that surprised many Pakistanis, who were preparing to welcome the Saudi delegation amid extraordinary security in the capital.
Without giving any explanation for the delay, the government said Prince Mohammed will now arrive in Islamabad for a two-day visit on Sunday and that his programme has not changed.
It will be the crown prince’s first visit to Pakistan since he was appointed heir to the throne in 2017.
Pakistani officials said a conference of Pakistani and Saudi business leaders was postponed “due to unavoidable circumstances”. It suggested Prince Mohammed will now visit Pakistan with a reduced number of business representatives.
Pakistan expects a US$7 billion Saudi investment over the next two years after Prince Mohammed’s visit
Saudi Arabia is looking eastwards after a troubled year for its relationships with the US and Europe as the alliances were shaken by the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
Last year, Pakistan voiced its support for the prince when he faced international outrage following the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. The kingdom quickly signed an agreement for a US$6 billion help package after Khan attended an investment conference in October that saw a wave of cancellations linked to the Khashoggi killing.
Khashoggi, who had written critically about the prince, went missing on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. After denying any knowledge of his death for weeks, Saudi authorities eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed in an attempt to force the writer to go back to the kingdom. Saudi prosecutors say the plan was masterminded by two former advisers to the crown prince. The kingdom denies the crown prince knew of the plot.
Associated Press, Bloomberg
