Macron Welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris for Talks on Regional Security

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Paris for a two-day state visit beginning Sunday evening, starting with the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup.

“the main topics of regional importance, within a framework of close collaboration between France and her partners in the Gulf”

Al Jazeera

The visit is set to shift on Monday toward talks on regional security and economic ties, with Macron’s office saying the leaders will discuss “the main topics of regional importance, within a framework of close collaboration between France and her partners in the Gulf”.

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Officials expect discussion of energy routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, including new pipelines, capacity upgrades and alternative port networks, alongside talks on the Iran conflict, Gaza-Israel and the wider situation in Palestine, and developments in Lebanon and Syria.

The Élysée Palace said several agreements on health, transport and energy are due to be signed on Monday, and France 24 reported the visit is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time for the Esports World Cup.F

France 24 also reported that Macron and the crown prince were to chair the first meeting of the Saudi-French strategic partnership council on Monday afternoon, with talks framed as “close coordination between France and its Gulf partners to foster stability and peace”.F

Three French journalists’ unions protested against France hosting the Saudi strongman, with France 24 reporting the SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes and SGJ-FO unions said the visit “looks like a provocation for defenders of media freedom and freedom of expression”.F

France 24 tied the protest to a live French investigation for torture and forced disappearance after a complaint lodged in 2021 over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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The unions pointed to the 2018 killing of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and France 24 said a UN investigation described the journalist’s death as an “extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible”.F

France 24 reported Macron’s office said several agreements on health, transport and energy would be signed on Monday alongside talks likely to focus on Iran, while the visit began with Macron hosting MBS at the Esports World Cup closing ceremony.F

RFI reported the Élysée Palace said the visit on August 23 and 24 would be an opportunity to sign “many agreements,” and said France sees this as a reflection of the “dynamism of the Franco-Saudi relationship in a tense regional context.”

Al Jazeera reported that Macron’s adviser said finding a resolution to the US-Israel war on Iran, now in its sixth month, remains out of reach, noting “It’s difficult to see a way out.”

“It’s difficult to see a way out.”

Al Jazeera

The agenda described by Al Jazeera also included discussion of energy routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, alongside developments in Lebanon and Syria, and it said several agreements on health, transport and energy are due to be signed on Monday.

Infobae said the Esports World Cup in Paris had a prize pool of 75 million dollars and that 2,000 players from 100 countries participated over the past seven weeks at the Grand Palais near the Champs-Élysées.I

Infobae reported that after attending the closing ceremony, Bin Salman would continue his official schedule in France on Monday, with the highlight being the meeting at the Elysée Palace between the two leaders from which new bilateral agreements are expected in areas such as defense and culture.I

RFI said the ministerial meeting on Monday, August 24 would discuss diversifying energy supply routes while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked by Iran, and it said talks would also cover the Israeli-Palestinian issue and a two-state solution, the Lebanese and Syrian situations, and cultural cooperation at Al-Ula.