Saudi Arabia: Biden set to meet Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite criticism

US President Joe Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday ahead of his controversial summit with the country's de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr. Biden will meet both the prince and his father, King Salman.

Two years ago, he had pledged to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over the 2018 murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.

The prince denies involvement, but US intelligence concluded he approved it.

Topics of discussion for the leaders will include energy supply, human rights, and security cooperation.

Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest oil producer, and the attempted reset of relations follows a spike in oil prices driven by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The US is expected to push Saudi officials to commit to increasing production.

Late on Thursday, Saudi Arabia announced it would open its airspace to commercial Israeli flights - a decision welcomed by the US.

The move will see the kingdom's airspace open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights and paves the way for more flights to and from Israel.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it "paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region".

Mr. Biden will become the first US president to fly directly to Saudi Arabia from Tel Aviv, which is seen as a small but significant sign of Riyadh's growing acceptance of Israel after decades of boycott in solidarity with the Palestinians.

This article is from BBC News.