Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, (MBS), is on the second day of his two-day state visit to France, the place he’s assembly President Emmanuel Macron.
On this explainer, we define what they’re anticipated to debate and look at how their newest conferences construct on an already evolving relationship.
What’s on the agenda?
MBS’s go to to Paris started on Sunday night alongside President Macron on the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup. It was the primary time the Esports match, which incorporates competitions starting from video video games to chess, had been held exterior Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, Macron and Bin Salman are anticipated to signal a number of agreements on well being, transport and power.
French media reported {that a} deal to construct a Dragon Ball-themed amusement park, backed by a Saudi funding fund and impressed by the long-lasting Japanese manga sequence, might be signed.
Valerie Pecresse, President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France in Higher Paris, advised French broadcaster TF1 that the regional authorities had been engaged on the mission for 18 months.
“There’s a crucial assembly on the Elysee at this time that will outcome within the signing of this settlement. We’re ready for the signature,” she stated, describing the mission as “on the dimensions of Disneyland”.
Bin Salman and Macron are additionally holding bilateral discussions on regional safety and their financial ties.
That’s anticipated to incorporate discussions about power routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz, corresponding to new pipelines, capability upgrades and various port networks.
France is a significant purchaser of Saudi oil and mineral merchandise.
Because the begin of the US-Israeli warfare on Iran on February 28, delivery has been severely disrupted within the Strait of Hormuz – the very important waterway on which oil exporters within the Gulf are closely reliant and the place 20 p.c of the world’s oil and pure fuel provides are shipped from throughout peacetime. The disruption despatched oil costs hovering.
Earlier than the warfare, a barrel of Brent crude – the worldwide benchmark – price about $66. Over the course of the battle, costs have climbed above $100 – hitting a excessive of $119 early on within the warfare.
On Monday, Brent was buying and selling round $93 a barrel.
Bin Salman and Macron are additionally anticipated to debate the warfare in Iran, the bloodshed in Palestine, in addition to developments in Syria and Lebanon, the place Israel occupies round one-fifth of its territory.
Different anticipated subjects on Monday’s agenda embody international occasions that Saudi Arabia is ready to host within the coming years, together with Expo 2030, specializing in sustainability and concrete innovation, and the 2034 soccer World Cup.
How a lot commerce does Saudi Arabia do with France?
The 2 nations have a reasonably equal buying and selling steadiness.
In 2024, France exported $4.5bn value of products to Saudi Arabia and imported $4.6bn value, in accordance with information from the Observatory of Financial Complexity (OEC), an internet platform that compiles and visualises worldwide commerce statistics.
Refined petroleum accounted for 72 p.c of Saudi Arabia’s exports to France in 2024. Moreover refined petroleum, Saudi Arabia exported crude petroleum and different mineral merchandise to France. It additionally exported small quantities of equipment, chemical compounds and automobiles.
France’s exports to Saudi Arabia in 2024 had been extra various, together with airliners, helicopters, fuel generators, pharmaceutical merchandise and fragrance, amongst different merchandise.
What have relations between Saudi Arabia and France been like?
Sunday’s go to marked the third time MBS has visited France after journeys in 2022 and 2023.
In December 2024, Macron visited Riyadh, the place the 2 nations based the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, which formalised and upgraded political and financial ties between Saudi Arabia and France.
The present go to can be MBS’s first worldwide journey for the reason that August 7 signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Settlement, often called the Mecca pact – the mutual defence settlement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan.
Signed by the prince, Turkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, the settlement commits all three states to deal with an armed assault on any considered one of them as an assault on all three.
Analysts say the pact reveals that Saudi Arabia is taking steps to diversify its safety partnerships past Washington.
