French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris on Sunday for a two-day visit spanning topics from esports to the war in the Middle East, underscoring deepening ties between the two countries.
The visit opened on a lighter note, with Macron hosting the Saudi de facto ruler, widely known as MBS, at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended as Macron greeted competitors and presented trophies. The tournament, which draws top performers across video games and games such as chess and has been heavily promoted by Riyadh, was held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
The visit turns to substantive business on Monday, when several agreements covering health, transport and energy are set to be signed, according to a French presidential official, alongside talks expected to focus on Iran and regional security. Macron and the crown prince are also due to chair the first meeting of a newly established Saudi-French strategic partnership council, with discussions expected to touch on energy, aerospace and defense cooperation. According to the Élysée, the two sides intend to address the “major economic and strategic issues” underpinning the bilateral relationship, in what officials described as a moment calling for close coordination between France and its Gulf partners on regional stability.
A French official declined to say whether talks would touch on a proposed Saudi-backed theme park project mooted for a site outside Paris.
The visit marks one of Prince Mohammed’s rare trips abroad outside international summits, his first to France in roughly a year. Once largely shunned internationally following the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he has in recent years rebuilt his standing as a key strategic partner for Western governments, including France, which he last visited in 2022 amid criticism from French opposition politicians over the kingdom’s human rights record. Macron was among the first Western leaders to meet him in Saudi Arabia after the Khashoggi killing, in December 2021.
Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally that has long had tense relations with Iran, is closely following developments in the Islamic Republic following the recent U.S.-Israeli conflict there.
