Macron hosts Saudi Crown Prince on Sunday and Monday

French President Emmanuel Macron will receive Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday and Monday for an “official visit” during which “regional issues” will form a central focus of discussions amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, the Élysée Palace announced on Thursday.

This global esports competition will be held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time, in a move that reflects “the shared ambition of France and Saudi Arabia to harness sports and culture as tools to bring the peoples of the two countries closer together,” according to a statement from the French presidency.

Macron, who previously visited Saudi Arabia in December 2024, and the Saudi Crown Prince intend to seize this opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties, as they will hold the inaugural meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.

Discussions will also center on “key regional issues, in a context that requires close coordination between France and its Gulf partners to enhance stability and peace in the Near and Middle East,” amid ongoing crises in Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon.