Macron Receives Saudi Crown Prince to Discuss Strategic Convergence and Economic Contracts
After dedicating the first day of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Paris on Sunday to esports, he will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday for talks addressing geopolitical crises and boosting economic ties, underscoring the ongoing rapprochement between Paris and Riyadh.
The Saudi Crown Prince has become a key interlocutor on Middle Eastern issues, ranging from the Iran file to the situation in Lebanon, as well as energy and defense, as France seeks to maintain its influence in the region while developing its economic relationship with the kingdom.
On Sunday, the Crown Prince attended the closing ceremony of the first-ever Esports World Cup held outside Saudi Arabia, alongside Macron in Paris.
On Monday, Macron and bin Salman will chair the inaugural meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, established during the French president’s visit to Riyadh at the end of 2024.
The talks will cover the situation in Gaza, the two-state solution, the Lebanese file, the situation in Syria, and the reshaping of ongoing balances in the Middle East.
Paris is closely monitoring Riyadh’s efforts to strengthen its security ties with other powers, particularly following the signing of a mutual defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan in early August.
Over a few years, bin Salman has managed to overcome the fallout from the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside his country’s embassy in Istanbul, transforming himself into a strategic partner for major powers.
In 2021, US intelligence agencies concluded that bin Salman approved an operation aimed at capturing or killing the journalist, while he denies ordering his death.
His reception at the Élysée Palace in July 2022 sparked outrage among human rights NGOs and several opponents.
With Russia’s war on Ukraine starting in February 2022 and the accompanying disruptions in energy supplies, Riyadh’s weight in this sector re-emerged.
The kingdom is a key player in the oil market and one of the world’s largest exporters. Diplomatically, it seeks to enhance its independence by developing relations with Washington, Beijing, and Moscow.
In July 2025, Saudi Arabia and France co-chaired an international conference hosted by the United Nations to discuss the Palestinian issue and support the two-state solution, with commitments agreed upon regarding reforms of the Palestinian Authority, the disarmament of Hamas, and ensuring Israel’s security.
The two countries will also co-chair a conference to support the Lebanese army and Lebanon’s unity and territorial integrity, which was scheduled for March but postponed due to the outbreak of war in the Middle East following the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
The Crown Prince’s visit on Monday also includes an economic dimension, with a forum bringing together top French business leaders and Saudi officials, covering diverse sectors such as energy, tourism, culture, artificial intelligence, video games, transport, and health.
The aim is to consolidate the position of French companies in major projects under “Vision 2030,” launched by bin Salman to diversify the kingdom’s economic resources and reduce its dependence on oil.
The French also wish to participate in preparations for Expo 2023, hosted by Riyadh, as Paris seeks to attract more Saudi capital.
The Élysée Palace confirmed on Friday that “some projects are still under discussion, but many commercial agreements will be signed in various sectors on Monday.”
An informed source told Agence France-Presse in early August that France and a Saudi investment company were in a “very advanced stage” of discussions over a joint project to build a theme park in the Val-d’Oise department, near Paris, inspired by “Dragon Ball,” one of the world’s most popular Japanese manga and anime series.
At the ministerial level, Monday’s meeting was convened to discuss diversifying energy supply routes amid Iran’s closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
However, the growing French-Saudi rapprochement has drawn criticism. Several French journalists’ unions condemned Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit on Sunday, calling it an “insult” to defenders of press freedom.
The unions pointed out that a complaint filed against Mohammed bin Salman in 2021 by Reporters Without Borders and Trial International, accusing him of “torture and enforced disappearance” in connection with the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, remains under investigation.
