Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and French President Emmanuel Macron chaired on Monday the inaugural meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council, launching several initiatives aimed strengthening cooperation between the two sides.
Crown Prince Mohammed was in France on an official visit at the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and invitation of the French president. Crown Prince Mohammed and Macron hailed relations between their countries.
During the visit, the Crown Prince met with Macron for official talks during which they underlined their mutual aspiration to strengthen the existing strategic partnership between their countries. They emphasized the historic depth of the relationship between France and Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of political relations between the two countries, said a joint statement at the conclusion of the Crown Prince’s visit.
They reiterated their shared ambition that the strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and France, which was announced during Macron's state visit to the Kingdom in December 2024, gave a new momentum to the friendship, trust, and mutual respect between the two countries, and respond to their common interests and to the challenges facing the world and Middle East.
The two leaders presided over the first meeting of the French-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.
They expressed their shared vision for stability in the Middle East, based on the sovereignty of states, respect for international law, and the pursuit of political and diplomatic solutions to conflicts and security threats.
Greater cooperation
In continuation of their historic defense cooperation, they adopted a declaration strengthening their defense cooperation, including in the field of armaments and training. They committed to increasing coordination to advance common interests and contribute to global security and stability.
The two sides commended the strength of economic and trade ties between the two countries, noting the growth of bilateral trade, which amounted to about $11.8 billion in 2025.
In the energy sector, they highlighted the importance of stability in global energy markets, security of supply, and the protection of maritime routes, while commending the Kingdom's role and efforts in enhancing the resilience of supply chains and the sustainability of energy sources.
They stressed the need to strengthen strategic cooperation in oil and petrochemicals, sustainable electricity generation, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage, peaceful nuclear energy, clean hydrogen, and emission reduction and removal technologies, and capacity building in these areas.
The stressed the need for cooperation on climate issues and related technology solutions. They also praised the existing trade relations and joint projects between the two countries and the need to strengthen them.
As France has become a leading investor in Saudi Arabia, particularly in sectors such as energy, water management, transportation, and logistics, the two countries have agreed to strengthen their economic ties and cross-investments. They stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between financial institutions and insurance and finance institutions in the two countries.
In this regard, both countries welcomed Qiddiya Investment Company’s ambition to develop a major mixed-use, multi-park destination in Cergy-Pontoise, in the Île-de-France region, bringing together entertainment, leisure, hospitality, culture and sport within an integrated new destination.
Current ambitions include up to three major entertainment anchors, hotels and complementary leisure experiences, for a total amount of around €6 billion over the development lifecycle.
The two sides also agree to establish a dedicated and efficient financial framework to support projects delivered by French companies in Saudi Arabia.
Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation across AI, quantum computing, emerging technologies, and capacity building.
As a symbol of the strength of this partnership, Saudi Arabia and France reaffirmed the importance of their exceptional cooperation on AlUla, within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, in particular in the fields of archaeology, heritage, and culture.
They decided to extend the Saudi-French partnership on AlUla until 2035 and work on an evolved framework that reflects the maturity of cooperation between the two countries and builds on the opportunities AlUla offers as a major cultural and heritage destination of the 21st century.
Saudi Arabia and France, pleased with the success of the third Esports World Cup held in Paris in summer 2026, reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation and partnership in culture, youth, and sports, while developing joint programs and activities between the two countries
As part of the Expo 2030 Riyadh organized by Saudi Arabia, Macron and the Crown Prince welcomed France's participation in this historic event for Saudi Arabia. They agreed to make it a highlight of French-Saudi relations, also by involving the relevant stakeholders on both sides.
During the visit, both sides signed several agreements and memorandums of understanding in defense, healthcare, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and entertainment.
They welcomed the outcomes of the French-Saudi Investment Roundtable Meeting, which concluded in the presence of the Crown Prince and Macon. The roundtable brought together leading CEOs and representatives of the Saudi and French private sectors to discuss joint projects and future prospects for cooperation between the two countries.
It reviewed opportunities for cooperation and investment in key sectors, including energy, industry, financial services, transport and logistics, health, culture, tourism, and artificial intelligence. Both sides welcomed the announcement of 21 agreements and memoranda of understanding, reflecting the growing economic partnership between the two countries and opening new avenues for cooperation and joint investment.
