TOUR TAKES SAUDI HEIR TO FRANCE FOR MACRON MEETING
▶ Mohammed bin Salman’s ‘non-traditional’ visit to Paris will include talks with president and ministers
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman landed in France yesterday on the next leg of his global tour after a coast-to-coast visit to the US.
On the extended trip, the crown prince has visited Egypt and the UK in an attempt to reshape his kingdom’s conservative image.
His two-day official visit starts today and will focus on cultural ties and investments as well as the war in Yemen.
About 14 memorandums of understanding in energy, agriculture, tourism and culture are expected to be signed between French and Saudi organisations, a source close to the crown prince’s delegation told Agence France-Presse.
According to the source, a Franco-Saudi co-operation deal is also on the cards to develop Al Ula, a city in the west of the kingdom rich in archaeological artefacts.
The crown prince was met at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris yesterday morning by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Aside from meetings with President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and trade officials, the heir to the Saudi throne is also considering a visit to the Paris tech start-up campus Station F and a concert in southern Aixen-Provence.
“This is not a traditional state visit,” another source close to the delegation said.
“It is about forging a new partnership with France, not just shopping for deals.”
Mr Macron’s office said the trip would also focus on investment in the digital economy as well as renewable energy, as the oil-rich kingdom invests billions of dollars in the sector in a effort to diversify.
Prof Bernard Haykel, at Princeton University, said that Prince Mohammed was seeking to market the kingdom as a business partner to the West as well as a force of stability as opposed to “rival Iran”, which he presents as a destabilising force.
Prince Mohammed’s first visit to France as the heir to the Saudi throne comes after a tumultuous period at home including a major military shakeup and a royal purge.
The 32-year-old prince has used his global tour to promote his reforms, including the historic lifting of bans on women driving, cinemas and mixed-gender concerts, after his public promise to return the kingdom to moderate Islam.
Saudi officials project strong ties between Prince Mohammed and Mr Macron, 40, both young leaders undertaking challenging reforms to transform their countries.
But the trip comes after a period of underlying tensions, including Mr Macron’s challenge of bolstering ties with the world’s top crude exporter while managing other relationships in the Middle East.
The crown prince has emphasised closer ties with US President Donald Trump just as Mr Macron has sought to improve relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch enemy.
Mr Trump has threatened to abandon the 2015 nuclear co-operation deal with Iran unless changes to it are proposed by May 12.
The challenge for Mr Macron is to convince the crown prince that “it is better to have the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran than no deal at all”, said Denis Bauchard, of the French Institute of International Relations.
This is not a traditional visit. It is about forging a new partnership with France, not just shopping for deals SAUDI DELEGATION SOURCE