Saudi Arabia's MBS heads to France to meet Macron, attend business summits

LONDON/PARIS — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is heading to Paris this week for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and to attend business events. The trip marks the second visit to the European country in a year for the kingdom’s de facto ruler.

According to a statement by the French presidency on Wednesday afternoon, Macron will host bin Salman at the Elysee Palace on Friday for a working lunch at which they will discuss the relationship between Paris and Riyadh as well as the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the rest of the world.

MBS left for Paris on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Next Monday, he will participate in the kingdom’s reception for Riyadh’s candidacy to host Expo 2030. In September 2022, Saudi Arabia applied to host the expo in Riyadh in 2030, under the proposed theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.”

The crown prince is also set to lead the Saudi delegation at a June 22-23 summit in Paris called “For a New Global Financial Pact” that Macron will host. More than 100 heads of state and government are due to attend, according to the event’s website. The French president announced the summit at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt last November, seeking to create a financial framework bringing together developed and developing countries to fight the climate crisis and advance the green energy transition.

Sources at the French Foreign Ministry told Al-Monitor that in view of COP28 taking place in neighboring United Arab Emirates as well as Riyadh's engagement for new energy policies, Paris considers Saudi Arabia a key player for the meeting.  

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Paris hosted the inaugural Vision Golfe, a business summit between France and Gulf countries. Speaking at the conference, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the Gulf will play a crucial role in the green energy transition, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water conservation.

Prince Mohammed's visit to France this week marks another step in efforts by both sides since Macron took office to strengthen diplomatic and economic bilateral ties. Traveling to Riyadh in December 2021, the French president became one of the first Western leaders to meet with the prince at his home base since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside Riyadh's Istanbul consulate in 2018.  

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna last traveled to Riyadh on June 8 to participate in the meeting of the international coalition against the Islamic State and meet with her Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan. A statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry after the meeting said the two ministers “reviewed the strong relations” between the kingdom and explored ways to enhance these ties in various fields.  

After being nominated foreign minister in May 2022, Colonna traveled in February for the first time as minister to Saudi Arabia, where she met with both bin Salman and Farhan. During her visit, she told Arab News that Saudi Arabia was "an ally and regional stabilizing power."