RIYADH, 9 January 2008 — French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to Riyadh next week is expected to highlight the political, economic, strategic and cultural ties between France and Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom will be the president’s first stop on his Gulf tour, which will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
According to French Ambassador Bertrand Besancenot, Sarkozy will arrive on Sunday afternoon and will hold discussions later in the evening with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The king will host a dinner in the French president’s honor.
The ambassador stated that Carla Bruni, the French president’s girlfriend, would not accompany him on his visit to the Kingdom. “I have seen the names of those coming with the president and her name was not on the list,” he said.
Among the topics for discussion during the visit are the nuclear crisis in Iran, the situation in Iraq, the political turmoil in Pakistan, the violence in some African nations, the political crisis in Lebanon and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Saudi Arabia is a major regional and international player,” said Besancenot. “The Kingdom is considered our strategic partner,” he added. The ambassador said Sarkozy and King Abdullah shared similar views on a number of regional and international topics.
Besancenot said the visit would have “great importance” on the new areas of cooperation that were agreed upon between the king and the French leader during their meeting in Paris last year.
Four memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed during the two-day visit. The first will be an agreement between the Saudi and French foreign ministries in order to enhance cooperation. The second agreement will be in the energy sector. The third and fourth will be in the training and rehabilitation sectors. The agreements are also expected to increase the number of Saudi students who go to France for higher studies.
In addition, both countries will discuss ways where universities, institutes and research centers could enhance their cooperation.
A security deal will be signed between the two countries allowing Saudi and French armed forces to engage in joint military exercises “in case one day they needed to fight side by side,” the ambassador said.
In addition to Sarkozy’s meeting with King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, the president is expected to meet Saudi businessmen. Dozens of businessmen from major French corporations will accompany Sarkozy.
“The president will highlight France’s willingness to take part in Saudi Arabia’s mega projects and the construction boom,” Besancenot said. “He will speak to Saudi businessmen about the reforms in the French economy which welcome foreign investment,” he said.
The volume of trade between Saudi Arabia and France stands at six billion euros. The focus on Saudi-French cultural ties is another important aspect of the presidential visit. France will take part in Saudi Arabia’s annual folklore festival (Janadriya) for the first time in 2009, said the ambassador.
