French President Macron to host Saudi Crown Prince MBS in Paris for talks

Energy, determination conflicts, and bilateral practice to predominate Emmanuel Macron and Mohammed bin Salman’s discussions.

French President Emmanuel Macron is acceptable to invited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Paris for a two-day authorities visit, opening with the closing ceremonial of the Esports World Cup earlier turning to talks connected determination information and economical ties.

The sojourn begins Sunday evening arsenic Macron hosts the crown prince astatine the esports tournament’s last successful Paris — the archetypal clip the competition, spanning video games to chess, has been held extracurricular Saudi Arabia.

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Bilateral meetings and a concern forum volition travel connected Monday, erstwhile Macron’s bureau said the 2 leaders volition sermon “the main topics of determination importance, wrong a model of adjacent collaboration betwixt France and her partners successful the Gulf”.

What’s connected the agenda

Officials expect treatment of vigor routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, including caller pipelines, capableness upgrades and alternate larboard networks, alongside talks connected the Iran conflict, Gaza-Israel and the wider concern successful Palestine, and developments successful Lebanon and Syria.

Several agreements connected health, transport and vigor are owed to beryllium signed connected Monday. Macron’s advisor said uncovering a solution to the US-Israel warfare connected Iran, present successful its sixth month, remains retired of reach, noting “It’s hard to spot a mode out.”

The sojourn is MBS’s 3rd to Paris, pursuing trips successful 2022 and 2023, and builds connected the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council launched during Macron’s authorities sojourn to Riyadh successful December 2024.

The Paris travel is Prince Mohammed’s archetypal extracurricular the kingdom since Saudi Arabia signed a trilateral defence pact with Turkiye and Pakistan connected August 7 — the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, known arsenic the Mecca pact.

Signed by the prince arsenic good arsenic Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the statement commits each 3 states to dainty an equipped onslaught connected immoderate 1 of them arsenic an onslaught connected each three.

Analysts accidental the pact reflects Riyadh’s propulsion to diversify its information partnerships beyond Washington.

The woody builds connected a bilateral Saudi-Pakistan communal defence statement signed successful 2025, and comes arsenic Gulf states measurement however to trim their reliance connected US information guarantees amid the prolonged fallout from the Iran war.

France has been a long-standing weapons and defence supplier to Gulf states, and Saudi Arabia is positioning itself arsenic a increasing capitalist successful the French economy.

The 2 leaders past met successful April successful Islamabad during talks betwixt Tehran and Washington aimed astatine ending the Iran war, agreeing past to enactment successful “close contact” connected de-escalation efforts.

Saudi Arabia is separately acceptable to big Expo 2030 and the 2034 shot World Cup, some apt to diagnostic successful Monday’s discussions.