President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership on Monday aimed at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections.
The French leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a three-day state visit just as a political crisis threatens to topple the French government.
After a meeting with Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, Macron’s office announced the signing of a new partnership aimed at improving cooperation in “defence, energy transition, culture, mobility between the two countries”.
The two leaders also “agreed to make every effort to contribute to de-escalation in the region”, including helping to consolidate the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
“Together, they called for the holding of presidential elections in Lebanon with the aim of bringing the Lebanese people together and carrying out the reforms necessary for the stability and security of the country,” the statement from Macron’s office said.
Macron touched down in the Saudi capital Riyadh in the afternoon, where he was greeted by an honour guard of sword-holding servicemen and celebratory cannon fire as he disembarked from his plane.
He did not comment on the political situation in France as he arrived.
Macron’s visit began as France’s less than three-month-old minority government faced the prospect of being forced out by a vote of no confidence in the coming days.
The far-right National Rally party said it would vote to oust Michel Barnier’s government after the prime minister used an executive tool to push through a social security budget bill without parliamentary approval.
The left wing is also expected to back the motion, which could be held as early as Wednesday. If successful, it would oust the government that was appointed in September after snap polls.
Macron’s three-day stay also coincides with a flare-up of violence in Syria, where anti-government rebels have seized Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city.
The fighting in Syria follows France’s brokering of a ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Iran proxy Hezbollah.
– Lebanese army –
Macron’s state visit is the first by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing what the presidency calls a “very close relationship”.
In 2021, Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet Prince Mohammed in Saudi Arabia after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul.
The French president and Prince Mohammed will see how they “work together” on the conflicts shaking the region, with Lebanon at the “heart of the discussions”, the French presidency said in an earlier statement.
Macron is hoping for Saudi support for the Lebanese army, which is being deployed towards the border with Israel under the ceasefire but is poorly armed and trained.
He will also try to win Saudi help to reverse the political disintegration that has plunged Lebanon’s government and economy into catastrophe.
Paris and Riyadh are also calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and a “political outcome” based on the two-state solution of separate Israeli and Palestinian states.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has paused discussions with Washington on potentially recognising Israel in return for deeper security and bilateral ties with the United States.
In September, the crown prince hardened his position, insisting that Saudi Arabia would not establish ties with Israel before the creation of a Palestinian state.
Macron is accompanied by about 50 senior officials from major French companies including TotalEnergies, EDF and Veolia, as well as start-ups in artificial intelligence and quantum physics.
France and Saudi Arabia aim to “significantly strengthen” their economic ties to “the height of our shared ambition”, the presidency said.
Discussions are also under way for Saudi Arabia to acquire French-made Rafale fighter jets, although no announcement is expected during the visit, according to a source close to the matter.
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