Saudi crown prince visits UAE

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman flew to the United Arab Emirates, the Saudi state news agency said on Sunday, the first such visit in three years.

The visit comes days ahead of a Dec 5 OPEC+ oil policy meeting that had been postponed from Sunday.

Sources have told Reuters that among the issues that need to be addressed include an output hike for the United Arab Emirates agreed in June this year that’s scheduled to start in January 2025.

OPEC+, which groups the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies such as Russia, had postponed its meeting on the back of a Gulf Summit.

The Saudi state news agency did not give a reason behind the crown prince’s visit to the UAE. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are traditional allies but economic rivalry has on occasion seen them chart separate paths on certain topics.