Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to discuss important issues with French President Emmanuel Macron during his official visit to France.
In a statement, the French presidency said that the Crown Prince will arrive at the Elysée Palace at a quarter past one on Friday, where he will be received by the French president.
The statement added that the two sides will discuss over lunch a number of issues, including bilateral relations, within the framework of “strategic partnership” that links the two countries together.
Discussion of regional and international issues and challenges, including the positive developments in the region, will be high on the agenda of the talks.
According to the Elysée statement, the discussion will touch on “the challenges of regional stability as well as major regional issues.”
Meanwhile, official sources noted that the two leaders would discuss Gulf security, the fight against terrorism, developments in the Iranian nuclear program, the war in Yemen, and the ongoing presidential vacuum in Lebanon, in addition to Syria’s return to the Arab League.
France had previously welcomed the Saudi-Iranian agreement to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in Riyadh and Tehran. The sources expected that Macron would brief the Crown Prince on the phone call, which lasted more than an hour on Saturday, with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, and which dealt with Iran’s nuclear program.
The French sources emphasized the presence of a Saudi-French desire to enhance cooperation and coordination in order to achieve stability and confront the policies of interference in regional affairs.
Another complex issue on the table of discussions is Lebanon’s failure to elect a new president, eight months after former President Michel Aoun left Baabda Palace.
Saudi Arabia and France have maintained, since October, consultations over this issue, within the framework of a five-member committee, which also includes, the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
Macron has recently appointed former Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to personally follow-up on Lebanon’s presidential vacuum, to boost diplomatic efforts by the Elysée and help the country’s political blocs to overcome their differences.
A former minister told Asharq Al-Awsat that the election of a new president “will not happen before a regional-international consensus is reached.”
On the international level, two main issues will be discussed by the Saudi Crown Prince and Macron: The war in Ukraine, and an international summit that Paris will host on June 22-23, under the title, “For a New Global Financial Pact.”
With regards to Ukraine, Macron played a role in encouraging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Saudi Arabia’s invitation to attend the Arab summit last month in Jeddah and to address Arab leaders.
The French president put at his disposal a French official plane that took him to Saudi Arabia and from there to Japan, where the G7 summit was held.
In addition, Macron and Prince Mohammed bin Salman will touch on the preparations for the international summit hosted by France, which seeks “to build a new contract between the countries of the North and the South to address climate change and the global crisis.”
The event will constitute an opportunity to address key issues, including reform of multilateral development banks, debt crisis, innovative financing and international taxes and special drawing rights (SDRs).
French sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Paris views Riyadh as a major player, not only because of its financing capabilities, but also thanks to its environmental policies, as reflected in its major construction and urban projects and its quest for a green, zero-carbon economy.
Another important issue is the Kingdom’s proposal to host the Expo 2030, which coincides with the completion of Vision 2030 launched by Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A Saudi Royal Court statement said on Wednesday that Prince Mohammed will attend an official reception for 179 countries in Paris, as part of the Kingdom’s bid to host the International Expo 2030 in the city of Riyadh.
The ceremony is one of the important events that countries bidding to host the global event hold in the presence of representatives from the International Exhibitions Bureau (The Bureau International des Expositions). Voting will take place next November to choose the host city.
