Athens, 26 July 2022 (dpa/MIA) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on Tuesday, in the first visit to the European Union since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi nearly four years ago. The country's de-facto ruler was largely shunned by the West following the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the kingdom, by a hit squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The two are seeking to "further cement" economic cooperation between their countries and are due to sign important agreements, Mitsotakis said as he welcomed Mohammed. "I am very glad to be in Greece," Mohammed said, in a video broadcast on Greek state television. The warm welcome means "a lot to me and to Saudi Arabia." He called their meeting as a "game-changer" and described the historic opportunities for cooperation in energy and other areas. By linking their electricity grids, Greece and other European countries could be supplied with much cheaper renewable energy, for example, he said. A contract for the project is to be signed in Athens. He also wanted to talk about hydrogen as an energy carrier and how Greece could become a hydrogen hub. Mohammed brought a delegation of dozens of businessmen and ministers with him to Athens. They also discussed strategic and military cooperation as well as Saudi investments, Mitsotakis said. Mohammed said he did not come empty-handed. Mohammed is later due to travel to France. A statement by the official Saudi Press Agency earlier said he would meet the leaders of both countries to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in several fields, and discuss issues of common interests. The statement did not give details on how long his trip will last. It comes 10 days after US President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia and met with Mohammed, on a trip that was criticized by many in the United States, as well as international rights groups. US intelligence agencies say Mohammed bin Salman, also referred to as MBS, ordered the killing. Riyadh rejects the claim. Mohammed visited several Arab countries in the past year and went to Turkey in June, as the two countries sought to normalize ties strained after Khashoggi's murder. Both French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Saudi Arabia last year.