The theme park mission is amongst a raft of offers spanning power, defence, AI and tourism signed throughout Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s go to to Paris.
Printed On 25 Aug 2026
France and Saudi Arabia have introduced plans for a six-billion-euro ($7bn) amusement park close to Paris, following talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the Elysee Palace.
The settlement was amongst a raft of offers signed on Monday as Macron and Prince Mohammed, who’s often known as MBS, search to spice up financial and defence ties between their two nations.
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Macron’s workplace mentioned the amusement park mission will see the development of three theme parks, certainly one of which is anticipated to be manga-themed, close to Cergy-Pontoise, about 30km northwest of Paris. The mission is anticipated to create roughly 22,000 jobs and will probably be led by Qiddiya, an funding arm of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Macron known as the mission “extraordinary” and mentioned it will create a “new world vacation spot” on the dimensions of Disneyland Paris. He thanked Qiddiya and Saudi Arabia for his or her “belief” in French expertise, framing the funding as a win for his “Select France” drive to draw job-creating overseas capital.”We’re not performed stunning the world. Very happy with this achievement,” he added.
The mission stemmed from a dialogue between Macron and MBS in December 2024 in Riyadh, the place they found their “shared ardour” for manga, “and particularly Dragon Ball Z”, an adviser to the French president instructed reporters.
The opposite agreements, signed in a ceremony attended by Macron and MBS, span power, synthetic intelligence, aviation financing, transport and well being.
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Paris, mentioned there was additionally “a letter of intent signed, reinforcing cooperation on defence – an alternate of experience on cybersecurity, AI coaching and army coaching”.
The Saudi Arabian defence market is a major marketplace for French defence producers, as Saudi Arabia seems for brand new strategic companions,” he mentioned. “The French authorities needs to ensure it nonetheless has a hand in, continues to be working with Saudi Arabia on the nation’s defence.”
The French presidency mentioned two different contracts have been signed with French corporations in the course of the Saudi crown prince’s go to: one for the marine logistics firm CMA CGM to assist develop Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Islamic Port on the Crimson Sea, for $434m; and the opposite with rail transport group Alstom to produce metro carriages for Riyadh’s metro, for $580m.
The go to marks MBS’s third official journey to France and comes as Saudi Arabia pursues safety ties past its conventional partnerships. It was additionally the Saudi crown prince’s first journey overseas since signing the trilateral Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan earlier this month.
Past the financial and defence agenda, Macron and MBS additionally issued a joint assertion addressing a number of regional flashpoints.
The 2 sides known as for a negotiated finish to the battle between the USA and Iran and demanded a return to regular transport by the Strait of Hormuz. In addition they welcomed the US-brokered settlement on Hamas’s disarmament whereas urgent for a sustainable ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal warfare on Gaza. They affirmed help for Palestinian statehood and known as for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.They went on to sentence assaults by Yemen’s Houthis on Saudi Arabia in addition to on business transport. The 2 males additionally voiced help for Syria’s stability and restoration.
