Prince Faisal bin Farhan will represent the Crown Prince, who was advised by doctors to avoid travel.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, will represent the kingdom at the upcoming Arab League summit on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was advised by doctors to avoid travel, the Royal Court has said.
The royal medical team on Sunday advised the Crown Prince, also known as MBS, to “avoid long-haul flights” due to the possible impact of air pressure on his ear, according to a pronunciation published by the court.
The Crown Prince had apologized in a phone call to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Saturday for not being able to attend the summit to be held in Algeria on Nov. 1 — the first since the COVID-19 pandemic — according to Arab and French media reports.
Founded in 1945, the Arab League represents 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, though Syria has been suspended amid a long-running war. While united in calling for the Palestinians to have an independent state, the body has otherwise been largely unruly and unable to enforce its mandates.
MBS, who rose to power under his 86-year-old father, King Salman, was named crown prince in 2017, replacing Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a once-powerful figure as head of Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism efforts and a close ally of the United States.
His takeover has seen the kingdom undergo rapid changes such as allowing women to drive and opening movie theaters while loosening the grip of ultra-conservatives.
He also launched an alleged anti-corruption campaign targeting the richest men in the kingdom and led an internationally criticized Arab coalition that intervened militarily in Yemen – the poorest Arab nation.
US intelligence has linked Prince Mohammed to the 2018 murder and mutilation of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The kingdom has denied that the prince was involved and a Saudi court tried eight suspects in the murder, handing them lengthy prison terms in 2020.
Recently, the prince has come under fierce criticism from the US over a cut in oil production by the Saudi Arabia-led OPEC cartel.
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