Saudi-French relations have always managed to keep pace with developments — not only political and strategic ones, but technological, cultural, and artistic ones as well. Relations whose first stone was laid in the 1920s soon took on their own vitality, even amid stormy changes in the region and the world, and this gave the relationship a durable pattern that allows both sides to renew the channels of contact and strengthen the bonds of partnership within the strengths each of them possesses.
Beyond the early diplomatic ties and the economic and political partnerships they entered into, the two countries have kept searching for whatever would keep the relationship polished by renewing the ideas behind their cooperation. This is what the Saudi political vision has succeeded in doing: renewing the methods of cooperation with traditional partners in order to open the way to a cooperation worthy of the staggering advances in scientific discovery and modern technology. Prince Mohammed bin Salman's most recent visit to Paris reflected exactly that.
In the same connection, the Elysee reported that the Saudi Crown Prince's visit to Paris would include the signing of numerous economic agreements across various sectors, particularly in transport, energy, and health, in addition to discussion of diversifying the routes of energy supply, noting at the same time that Macron would be keen to call for increased Saudi investment in France.
Alongside all this, the Esports World Cup was held. Journalist Maryam Aljohani described it in Al Majalla writing that the idea began in Riyadh and the experience extended to Paris; that esports no longer confine themselves to competition inside the games themselves, as tournaments in this sector move toward building experiences that go beyond the computer screen and the digital platforms, bringing players, audiences, content creators, and stars of traditional sport together in a single space; and that in Paris these transformations appear clearly, with the French capital hosting this year's international edition of the Esports World Cup.
I would add that the influence Saudi Arabia enjoys in managing relations with states and peoples alike are fundamental to renewal, to bringing joy to people, and to drawing them into the ideas its leaders aspire to for the future.
The event, the attendance, and the ideas that followed from it were not confined to the sporting form: They gave the European viewer a chance to glimpse the shape of an ambition whose first fruits are meant to be visible over the coming decades, within a planned course - and the roads toward the dream have in fact already been paved, so that the ambitions of nations, states, policies, strategies, and peoples may meet.
Throughout history, non-political ideas have been able to strengthen political relations and root them more deeply, particularly where the arts and sports are concerned, and now esports, which are the magic of the world. They have become a shared language among people across their different cultures, generations, and civilizational affiliations.
Politics is the final form taken by the sum of the networks of cooperation among states and peoples, and it is politics that shortens the routes of cooperation, since everything distant in politics can be brought closer by these other, auxiliary powers of influence - above all by the energy of attraction and the elements of richness stored up in the fields of culture and sport.
In sum: Saudi-French relations were built on a solid foundation, and they now reach a maximal state of steadiness and permanence. European states can draw on the ideas this latest visit reflected, with a view to economic investment, political rapprochement, and cultural, social, and civilizational enrichment - all of which serves the region and the world in the direction of greater prosperity, growth, and stability.
