Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron Sunday welcomed Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman for a two-day visit, hosting him at the Esports World Cup before a second day focused on bilateral deals and the situation in the Middle East.
According to France24.com, a French presidential official stated that several agreements on health, transport, and energy will be signed on Monday, alongside talks that are likely to focus on Iran. The visit began on Sunday evening with a lighter event, as the crown prince was hosted by Macron at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris. FIFA President Gianni Infantino also attended, and Macron engaged with leading gamers and presented trophies. The event, which gathers top performers in esports, is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
Paris is keen to highlight the rarity of the crown prince's travels outside his home country, noting that this trip to France is his first in almost a year. "The fact that he chose France for this visit is an important signal and testifies to the depth and dynamism of the Franco-Saudi relationship," said the French presidential official.
Provocation, however, marked the visit as three journalists unions protested against France hosting the Saudi leader, known by his initials "MBS." In a joint statement, the SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes, and SGJ-FO unions highlighted a live French investigation into torture and forced disappearance related to the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The unions criticized the visit, following a previous one in July 2022, as a "provocation for defenders of media freedom and freedom of expression."
The French presidential official did not comment on whether the agreements could include a vast theme park called Dragons Ball, based on a Japanese manga and supported by a Saudi fund, proposed for the Val-d'Oise region outside Paris. Saudi Arabia is also preparing to host significant global events, including Expo 2030 and the football World Cup in 2034.
On Monday, Mohammed bin Salman and Macron are scheduled to chair the first meeting of the Saudi-French strategic partnership council. Macron and the crown prince "will discuss key regional issues, in a context calling for close coordination between France and its Gulf partners to foster stability and peace" in the Middle East, according to Macron's office. The Saudi crown prince has made multiple visits to France since December 2021, when Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet the prince following the Khashoggi incident.