Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, met at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Saturday with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Crown Prince conveyed to the French President the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, while Macron sent his greetings to the King.
During the meeting, the Crown Prince and Macron reviewed aspects of the Saudi-French relations, areas of partnership between the two countries, the prospects of bilateral cooperation, and opportunities for their development in accordance with the Saudi Vision 2030.
The latest developments in the Middle East and efforts to achieve international stability and peace were also reviewed.
In a joint statement, Saudi Arabia and France stressed the need to confront Iran's destabilizing activities in the region. They stressed the need for the Lebanese government to carry out comprehensive reforms. They agreed to work with Lebanon to ensure that the reforms are implemented, while stressing the need for the possession of weapons to be limited to the legitimate Lebanese state.
Riyadh and Paris said they would bolster cooperation between them and coordinate their stances on issues of common interest to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and the world.
Saudi Arabia was the last stop of Macron's tour of the region that took him to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
He stated that world powers cannot address Iran's nuclear file without tackling stability in the region. He revealed that he had proposed including allies, such as a Saud Arabia, in regional talks.
"I have been saying this since 2017 and I believe that we cannot separate the nuclear file from regional stability. We cannot move ahead without including our friends in these talks," he added.
"The Saudi Crown Prince was clear, as he has always been, in expressing his concern, as well as his desire in maintaining peace. We discussed various potential scenarios and we are one of the five member states taking part in the Vienna talks," he continued.
"I don't think there will be simple and rapid solutions to this issue," he added, but the ultimate goal should be preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and to avoid escalation in the region.
Macron said his Gulf tour was "beneficial". He held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Discussions focused on pending issues with Iran, Lebanon, peace in the Gulf and energy affairs.
"I believe we launched some strategic discussions at the appropriate time," Macron said. "We will now await the results on the strategic, geopolitical and regional level."
