Mohammed bin Salman's Visit to Paris to Strengthen Relations and Support the Partnership Agreement

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman is undertaking an official visit to France on Sunday and Monday, at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, who previously paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2024. That visit resulted in the signing of a wide range of agreements and understandings, notably leading to the launch of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council.

This marks the third visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris, following previous trips in July 2022 and June 2023. The Crown Prince has departed the country en route to France. The Saudi Royal Court stated that the visit comes in accordance with directives from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and in response to the invitation extended by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The visit follows a significant leap in bilateral relations between the two countries after the signing of a partnership agreement, accompanied by a memorandum that served as a “roadmap” for this partnership, covering numerous political, economic, cultural, artistic, and sports fields, all outlined in the joint statement issued on the occasion of Macron’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

The Élysée Palace issued a statement describing the visit as “a reflection of the vitality of the dialogue between France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and noting that it will “allow for the strengthening of the strategic partnership uniting our two countries.” The statement added that, for this purpose, the President of the Republic and the Saudi Crown Prince will hold, for the first time, a meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.

However, the first meeting between the Saudi Crown Prince and the French President will, according to the official visit schedule, take place on the evening of Sunday, August 23, at the Grand Palais, located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées. There, in their presence, the closing ceremony of the “Esports World Cup,” hosted by France for the first time at Saudi Arabia’s request, will be held.

The presidential statement noted that Paris’s hosting of this major global tournament “reflects France’s renewed attractiveness for hosting major international sporting events, following the success it achieved, particularly during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” The statement added that this “embodies the shared ambition of France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to make sports and culture two means of enhancing rapprochement between the two countries.”