A senior French official stressed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to France on Sunday means, in short, that Riyadh and Paris are entering a new phase of a genuine strategic partnership. He said the visit will address diplomacy, security, defense, investment, energy, culture, technology, and education.
Patrick Maisonnave, the French ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the momentum is now being further strengthened through the visit of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman to France and the first meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.
According to Maisonnave, the council is particularly important because it provides a permanent institutional framework for this political ambition, allowing both countries to set priorities, measure progress, and develop long-term cooperation across the main pillars of the relationship.
He added that as the two countries seek to keep pace with profound geopolitical, economic, and technological changes, Mohammed bin Salman’s visit demonstrates a shared determination to move from a very strong bilateral partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
He continued by saying that the readiness of the two leaderships to work together is not limited to bilateral issues, but also extends to regional stability, global challenges, and the major transformations shaping their societies, as the partnership enters a new phase with this visit.
He explained that the transformation Saudi Arabia is undergoing under Vision 2030, together with France’s strengths in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, culture, innovation, artificial intelligence, education, and creative industries, is creating new areas for convergence.
He stressed that the strategic dimension of the partnership lies precisely in this development, moving from a relationship based on strong cooperation to one increasingly grounded in shared objectives, long-term planning, and joint initiatives.
A Convergence Resilient to Challenges
Maisonnave affirmed that Riyadh and Paris have a well-established partnership and mutual trust that enable them to overcome the geopolitical challenges facing the region. He noted that the bilateral convergence translates into close coordination on the region’s most prominent crises.
He added that Paris and Riyadh are working together to support a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and create the necessary political conditions for lasting peace. The two countries also share an interest in Yemen’s stability and in protecting freedom of navigation and the security of strategic maritime routes.
According to Maisonnave, the two countries support efforts to end the devastating war in Sudan and preserve the country’s unity and institutions. They also support Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and recovery, as well as the establishment of a stronger Lebanese state capable of exercising its authority, while reducing external interference and the influence of non-state armed groups.
He continued by saying that France and Saudi Arabia naturally have their own interests and perspectives, but have developed the ability to engage in frank dialogue, particularly during periods of regional tension and profound international changes. This has enabled the relationship not only to endure, but also to continually reinvent itself.
Ambassador Maisonnave said the distinctive nature of the Saudi-French relationship lies in its rare combination of historical depth, political trust, and a shared ability to look to the future. Over the past century, he explained, the two countries have built a relationship based on mutual respect, continuous dialogue, and, most importantly, strategic autonomy.
He added that the relationship is no longer defined solely by its history or traditional areas of cooperation. Instead, it is increasingly focused on what the two countries can build together over the coming decades. French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2024 was a landmark moment that gave new political momentum to bilateral relations.
He attributed the resilience of bilateral relations since their establishment in 1926 to the fact that their strength lies in a century of accumulated trust, sustained political engagement at the highest levels, and a determination to adapt the partnership to each new historical period, despite some turning points along the way.
Maisonnave added that since diplomatic relations were established in 1926, France and Saudi Arabia have steadily expanded the scope of their cooperation. The relationship has accompanied the transformation of the Kingdom itself while responding at the same time to successive regional and international challenges. After 100 years, he said, the relationship is broader and deeper than at any previous stage in its history.
He continued by saying that this continuity is particularly evident today in diplomatic cooperation. At a time when the Middle East is going through one of its most significant periods of transformation, France and Saudi Arabia share a fundamental objective: preventing instability from becoming permanent and restoring the priority of diplomacy, state sovereignty, and international law.
Of particular importance, according to Maisonnave, is that this diplomatic coordination is developing alongside an equally deep economic and societal partnership. France is accompanying the transformation taking place in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030 in areas ranging from investment and energy to culture, tourism, technology, education, and human capital development.
In his view, this gives the relationship an unprecedented scope, noting that strategic dialogue at the highest political levels is reinforced by growing ties between the two countries’ economies, institutions, and societies.
He also noted that the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations represents more than a commemoration of the past. It symbolizes the transition from one chapter to another in the history of the relationship.
Maisonnave explained that the first 100 years established and laid the foundations for a relationship based on trust. He stressed that the next 100 years must build on this legacy, making France and Saudi Arabia not merely partners in a changing world, but partners in shaping the future.
