Crown Prince’s Paris visit highlights pivotal diplomatic role

Under the direction of King Salman, and in response to the invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is on a state visit to France.

The visit is among the most significant and highest-level engagements France hosts this year and will feature a series of important meetings and discussions, as well as the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and advancing the shared interests of the two friendly countries.

The program will also include official ceremonies and a number of high-level events.

According to a statement issued by the Elysee Palace, the visit will include the inaugural meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, which was agreed on during Macron’s state visit to the Kingdom in December 2024.

That visit resulted in the adoption of a roadmap for the strategic partnership and the signing of a memorandum of understanding to establish the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council co-chaired by the crown prince and the French president.

The visit will also address major economic and strategic issues at the heart of the Saudi-French partnership, as well as key regional developments, against the backdrop of highly significant and sensitive regional and international circumstances.

It will begin with attendance at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup, with the Elysee Palace statement highlighting “the shared ambition of both countries to make sports and culture tools for strengthening ties between them.”

For the first time, the tournament is being held in Paris, and I had the honor of attending its opening ceremony in early July alongside Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi minister of sport; Marina Ferrari, the French minister for sports, youth and community life; and a number of French officials. The tournament and its competitions attracted widespread attention from both the media and young audiences.

The reception program prepared by the French side for the distinguished guest will include an official reception hosted by President Macron, along with a series of special ceremonial events.

These arrangements reflect France’s recognition of the crown prince’s prominent role on the international stage, the Kingdom’s growing global standing, and the importance Paris attaches to strengthening its longstanding relations of cooperation and friendship with Saudi Arabia. They also underscore the significance of the visit and the shared objectives both countries seek to advance.

The visit comes at a pivotal moment, amid unprecedented progress in Saudi-French cooperation and partnership, and against the backdrop of exceptional regional geopolitical and security challenges. These circumstances have prompted intensive efforts by the leadership of both countries to contain tensions and prevent further deterioration and escalation.

They also highlight the Kingdom’s pivotal diplomatic role and its sustained efforts to halt hostilities, promote the peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiation and diplomacy, uphold the Charter of the UN and the principles of international law and legitimacy, and contribute to containing the multiple crises affecting the region and threatening both regional and global stability.

The Kingdom’s efforts have extended beyond addressing regional challenges to contributing to international security and stability. A notable example is its role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, where the crown prince has supported initiatives aimed at launching negotiations and reaching a peaceful settlement. His humanitarian mediation efforts also contributed to the success of earlier prisoner-exchange negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Last year, the Kingdom further reinforced its diplomatic role by hosting high-level US-Russian talks in Riyadh aimed at advancing efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine. This measured and effective approach has earned broad international recognition, with many friendly nations expressing their appreciation and support, particularly France.

Paris shares the Kingdom’s commitment to de-escalation, the cessation of hostilities, and the peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiation in accordance with international law and established international principles. The Kingdom’s efforts to strengthen energy security, supply chains, maritime transport routes, and navigation have also gained broad international recognition.

These efforts continue to receive support from France, which shares the Kingdom’s objectives and emphasizes their importance to the stability of the global economy and international development as a whole.

The constructive cooperation between the two countries has proven effective in supporting international efforts to address ongoing crises and has received recognition from the UN and the broader international community.

Fahad M. Al-Ruwaily

France has praised the Kingdom’s efforts to promote security and stability at both the regional and international levels. The crown prince and Macron have also reaffirmed the convergence of their countries’ positions in this regard, most recently during the French leader’s telephone call with the crown prince on Aug. 7.

One of the most prominent examples is the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held in New York in September 2025 under the auspices of the UN, and co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

The conference resulted in the adoption of the New York Declaration, which received the support of the majority of countries and became a cornerstone of current international efforts to achieve a permanent, just, and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian problem.

The two countries also cooperate to promote security, stability, and development across the region and internationally. Their partnership extends to addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including terrorism, extremism, and hate speech; the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and transnational crime; and the effects of pollution, climate change, desertification, poverty, and developmental setbacks.

This cooperation is reinforced at both the bilateral and multilateral levels through numerous international organizations and frameworks, including the Paris Agreement, of which the Kingdom is a founding member; the International Atomic Energy Agency; the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; the Human Rights Council; and leading economic and cultural institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The Kingdom also hosted the 11th session of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Global Forum last December under the theme “Alliance of Civilizations: Two Decades of Dialogue for Humanity,” with high-level international participation that included the UN Secretary-General Antoni Guterres and numerous prominent international figures.

In recent years, the Kingdom has strengthened its active role within the G20, which brings together the world’s 20 largest economies, while expanding its cooperation and partnerships with several major economic organizations, most notably the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, headquartered in Paris.

The Kingdom has significantly deepened its cooperation with the OECD to benefit from its expertise in areas including government performance, financial system reform, spending efficiency, governance, and anti-corruption efforts. This cooperation culminated in the signing of a comprehensive memorandum of understanding between the Kingdom and the OECD in Davos in January 2024.

In addition, Riyadh and Paris rank among the world’s leading diplomatic capitals, hosting a significant number of embassies and international organizations. The Kingdom serves as the headquarters for several prominent regional and international organizations and funds, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group), the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees, the General Secretariat of the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization , and the Arab Urban Development Institute.

It also hosts regional offices of several major international organizations, including the World Tourism Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the UN Children’s Fund.

Interest among international organizations in establishing permanent regional headquarters in the Kingdom continues to grow. Recent examples include the agreement signed in 2025 with the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, to establish a regional headquarters in Riyadh, as well as the agreement signed last February with the ALIPH Foundation for the Protection of Heritage to establish a regional office in the capital.

Riyadh has also emerged as one of the world’s prominent centers for economic, commercial, cultural, and media activity. France, for its part, holds a leading position within the EU and, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, exercises considerable influence on the international stage across political, military, economic, and cultural spheres. It possesses advanced heavy industries in both the civilian and defense sectors, supported by strong domestic innovation capabilities.

France also maintains a broad political and cultural presence and extensive international ties, reflected in the International Organization of La Francophonie, which brings together 90 countries, including 53 full members, with the remainder holding associate or observer status. Its global reach extends beyond Europe through its overseas territories, while its military bases, naval presence, and defense and security partnerships further reinforce its international standing.

On the diplomatic front, France hosts a great number of prominent international and European organizations and institutions. France is also home to the World Organization for Animal Health, the World Water Council, the International Organization of Legal Metrology, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, and the Financial Action Task Force. Furthermore, the country accommodates the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Space Agency, the European Securities and Markets Authority, and the European Banking Authority.

As I noted earlier, this visit is extremely significant, given the current exceptional relations of friendship and strategic partnership linking the two countries. These ties have deepened considerably since the Kingdom launched Vision 2030, the major development strategy, which this year marks the 10th anniversary of its launch, following a decade of achievements.

The visit underscores France’s deep appreciation for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his constructive efforts at both the regional and international levels.

Fahad M. Al-Ruwaily

In many areas, Vision 2030 has achieved its objectives ahead of schedule, with major French companies playing a leading role as partners in numerous successfully launched projects. This progress has reinforced Vision 2030’s goal of advancing toward a sustainable development economy while capitalizing on the Kingdom’s highly competitive investment environment.

That environment is underpinned by a highly qualified young generation, a stable and resilient economy, modern legal frameworks, streamlined administrative procedures, advanced technological applications, and sophisticated infrastructure.

The Kingdom’s strategic geographic location and proximity to major markets in Asia and Africa further strengthen its position as an attractive destination for investment. France has become the Kingdom’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment inflows, while the number of French companies operating in Saudi Arabia has risen to more than 350, including around 170 with permanent branches that employ over 11,500 people.

Recent years have also seen a marked increase in the number of French companies establishing regional operations in the Kingdom. In May 2025, the Saudi Public Investment Fund opened its Paris office, the first of its kind in the EU and the eurozone.

The Saudi business sector is also strengthening its presence in France, with eight Saudi companies currently operating branches or offices across the country, employing more than 800 people in a diverse range of economic, industrial, and service activities.

Efforts are continuing to deepen and expand these partnerships, while new areas of cooperation are being explored in sectors such as tourism, culture and heritage, financial technology, telecommunications, space, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, water, renewable energy, and the protection of wildlife, biodiversity, ecosystems, and terrestrial and marine environments. The scope of this cooperation is so extensive that it would be difficult to cover all, or even most, of its dimensions within a single short article.

One of the most prominent partnerships established under Vision 2030 is the large-scale tourism and cultural project to develop AlUla, which draws on advanced French expertise through the French Agency for AlUla Development.

As part of numerous infrastructure, industrial, transportation, and construction projects, there is, for example, the Six Flags entertainment city, part of the Qiddiya project on the outskirts of Riyadh. Its construction was awarded to the French Bouygues Group in partnership with the Saudi construction company Almabani General Contractors, at a cost exceeding SR3.75 billion ($1 billion). It opened to great success last December as one of the largest and most modern entertainment cities in the world.

During my tenure as ambassador of Saudi Arabia to France from December 2020 to July 2026, I had the honor of contributing to the organization of several summit-level visits and participating in their proceedings. Among the most significant were the two official visits of crown prince to France, in July 2022 and June 2023, as well as the French president's visits to the Kingdom in December 2021 and December 2024, the latter being a state visit.

These reciprocal visits were highly successful and helped strengthen frameworks for cooperation, consultation, and coordination on numerous regional and international issues of common interest. They also led to the signing of several important cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding.

The outcomes of these visits contributed to a new phase in relations between the two countries, based on strengthening bilateral cooperation and strategic partnership across all major fields, including the political, security, economic, cultural, sports, and other fields, in a manner that serves the common interests of the two countries and their friendly peoples.

This visit underscores France’s deep appreciation for the crown prince and his constructive efforts on both the regional and international levels. It also reflects the Kingdom’s major role and its steadfast commitment to promoting peace, security, stability, and prosperity for the peoples of the region and the world.

Furthermore, the visit further develops the efforts made during previous meetings while opening up new prospects for cooperation. It also comes as we celebrate the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, marked by the opening of the French Consulate in Jeddah in 1926, which was upgraded to a full-fledged embassy in 1932.

The popular and cultural ties run deeper still. As I wrote in an earlier article for Arab News, they reach back to the First Saudi State, and French archives hold the proof. The most remarkable item is a map of Diriyah drawn up in 1808 by the French diplomat and orientalist Joseph Rousseau while serving as France’s consul general in Basra under Napoleon Bonaparte and enclosed with his memoir on the Saudi state.

The original, catalogued as “Carte de Dreiye et ses environs,” still sits in the archives of the French Foreign Ministry, to which Rousseau sent it with his official dispatch. It is the oldest surviving map of Diriyah, showing its quarters and outskirts, the surrounding valleys and farmland, and Rousseau’s account records a capital enjoying real economic and cultural prosperity. Diriyah’s historic At-Turaif district is today on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. In July 2024, ahead of schedule, the Kingdom completed the inscription of eight sites, a Vision 2030 target.

Culture has long been part of the story. The Kingdom was a principal partner in founding the Arab World Institute in Paris, opened in November 1987 and now a landmark introducing the French public and visitors to the arts and history of the Arab world. The institute is already preparing a special program to mark its 40th anniversary in 2027. In both countries and beyond, expectations are high. This visit is set to strengthen cooperation and partnership at every level, in the interest of both peoples, and to contribute to peace, security and stability in the Middle East and the wider world.