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JEDDAH: French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. It is his third visit in less than two years — a sign of the importance he gives to his country’s relations with Saudi Arabia. Few other world leaders have visited the Kingdom so frequently. In an interview with Arab News, the French Ambassador, Bertrand Besancenot, explains the relationship and points to where he hopes it will go. One of the results of former President Chirac’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 1996 was the creation of a “strategic partnership” between the two countries. What is this partnership, how does it work and what has it achieved? The strategic partnership set up between Saudi Arabia and France during a visit by President Chirac to Riyadh in 1996 flowed from a political choice by our two countries to establish a special relationship that was global in its vision. That vision was: Close political ties, cooperation on defense and security, the development of commercial ties and promotion of partnerships between Saudi and French companies, and French input into the development of human resources in the Kingdom, in particular university, professional and technical training. The authorities in the two countries have actively promoted this strategic partnership and it has grown in strength over time. But it has been given new dynamics by President Sarkozy and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. President Sarkozy visited Saudi Arabia twice in less than a year. Now he returns for a third time. Is this a sign of renewed French interest in Saudi Arabia — and is that interest primarily political or economic? President Sarkozy’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the third in less than two years, underlines his determination to accord special status to the two country’s relations. In the present multipolar world where members of the G20 have a particular interest in ensuring a new international order that is more just and more stable, Saudi Arabia and France have — at least in President Sarkozy’s view — a major role to play in helping bring about peace, stability and development around the world. The views of King Abdullah, as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, carry great moral weight in the Muslim world. He is seen — rightly so — as the sage, the wise man, of the Middle East. In particular, Saudi Arabia has pursued balanced and responsible energy policies and has been working actively to bring about international economic recovery after the downturn. For its part, France, as one of the leading Western nations, is particularly sensitive to the concerns of developing countries and constantly upholds the principle of fairness in resolving international issues — especially in the Middle East where President Sarkozy has spared no effort to promote peace. France is also actively working to bring about greater regulation of the global financial system as well as ensure protection of the world’s environment. Saudi Arabia and France have, therefore, good reason to want to strengthen their cooperation, particularly within the G20. It will help them promote reform of the international order toward stability and justice. As for bilateral relations, French businesses are very interested in opportunities in the various major Saudi development projects. Their excellence in the fields of transport, communications, water and electricity as well as nuclear energy is internationally recognized. But France also wants to strengthen its economic links with Saudi Arabian small- and medium-sized enterprises. There has been much talk about technical and educational cooperation between the two countries. What exactly is involved? During President Sarkozy’s first visit to Saudi Arabia, in January 2008, four accords were signed. One covered cooperation on university education, the other on technical and professional training. Since then, more than 50 agreements have been initialled between Saudi and French universities. They are currently being implemented. Some 800 Saudis are on scholarships in French universities and the number is going up every year. A significant number of these are Saudi doctors who have gone to France for specialist training or to pursue further research. The aim is to have 500 new Saudi students going to France on scholarships every year. During President Sarkozy’s visit this week, new proposals on training and scientific research will be presented to the Saudi authorities. In doing so, we hope to give a new dimension to the strategic partnership, to ensure its success for the long term. Elsewhere in the Gulf, there are signs of strong cultural cooperation with France. There is a French Museum in Muscat and the Louvre is opening museums in Abu Dhabi and in Qatar, whose ruler paid an official visit to France this summer. So there are strong cultural links. What about Saudi Arabia? On the cultural level, France operates three schools in Saudi Arabia — in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar — with a total of around 3,000 pupils, from kindergarten to baccalaureate level. There are also three French-language centers in the same cities, where every year some 1,500 Saudi men and women learn French. On the artistic front, the French embassy organizes exhibitions of both French and Saudi artists. It also puts on several concerts every year in Riyadh, Jeddah and more recently in Alkhobar. Additionally, it regularly cooperates with the Faisal Foundation in organizing conferences. A museum project in Riyadh will be discussed. The plan is to create a science museum modeled on the Science City (Cité des Sciences) in Paris. One of the aims is to enable children and young people to familiarize themselves with the scientific world and develop an interest in scientific research — a major objective of the Kingdom, as demonstrated by the recent opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. France is involved in a partnership with the City of Jeddah to study conservation methods and plans, and for the restoration of Old Jeddah. As far as archaeology goes, three sites of major historical importance in the Arabian peninsula — Mada’in Salah, Najran and Kilwa — are being excavated in collaboration with French teams. As part of this important work, the Louvre Museum will, next summer, mount an exceptional exhibition of archaeological treasures from Saudi Arabia. It will be a major event, presenting objects that have never been seen outside the country and will give the world a new insight into the Kingdom and its cultural wealth. France is extremely pleased to have been chosen for this first exhibition. Finally, in March 2010, France will be the guest of honor at the national cultural festival, the Janadriya. In the field of military cooperation, what is happening at present? France is Saudi Arabia’s third largest supplier of defense and security equipment. The cooperation is long standing and very close. These include: • Training: France organizes a range of technical and operational courses for Saudi officers and military personnel; • Joint Exercises: these become ever more detailed as they go along; for example, Saudi air forces were this year in France while we are planning a major ground exercise next year in the Kingdom; • Military Equipment: military cooperation constitutes an important element in the relationship of trust between our two countries. As a partner in EADS, France’s involvement in the electronic border surveillance system will be significant. Discussions are taking place on several defense projects in line with Saudi requirements. We hope they will happen, seeing in them a spirit of renewed partnership with a country that is a friend and which seeks, as do we, to reinforce stability in the region and the world. How do you see the links between the Kingdom and France? Our relations are strategic. The current period of international uncertainty as well as of rapid development in Saudi Arabia has created new opportunities to reinforce the global partnership which links us to Saudi Arabia. That is the wish of President Sarkozy and the reason for his many trips to Saudi Arabia. What developments would you like to see in the future? I hope that the bonds of friendship and trust existing between our two governments and nations will result in an even stronger partnership between the two countries, based on the training and development of future generations and on technological cooperation between our businesses and our universities. |
