Ludovic Pouille
From the dawn of the relationship between France and Saudi Arabia in March 1926, almost a century ago, to the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris last month – his second to France in less than a year – our partnership has undergone an unprecedented evolution.
The month of June 2023 was one of the richest ever in the long history of French-Saudi relations, during which Paris has become “a second home for Saudi decision-makers.” The successful official visit of the crown prince, at the head of a large ministerial delegation, is a tribute to the importance of this relationship between our countries and to the convergence of our visions for the future: Building together a better world for our youth and future generations and meeting the challenges that threaten our planet.
President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the crown prince at the Elysee Palace on June 16. On this occasion, they discussed strengthening the French-Saudi strategic partnership, as well as the regional and international issues on which our two countries have converging analyses and interests. During the crown prince’s visit to Paris, a series of ministerial meetings strengthened our strategic partnership in key areas. Foreign Ministers Catherine Colonna and Prince Faisal bin Farhan continued in Paris the consultations initiated during the former’s two visits to Saudi Arabia in February and June. Bruno Le Maire, minister of the economy and finance, also held talks with Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih a few months after their meeting in Riyadh. Rima Abdul Malak, France’s minister of culture, met again with her counterpart Prince Badr bin Farhan, who had received her in Riyadh in March. The meeting was an opportunity to acknowledge the dynamism of our cultural cooperation and the success of our exceptional partnership in AlUla.
Olivier Becht, minister of foreign trade, attractiveness and the French abroad, discussed with Al-Falih the opportunities for strengthening our economic partnership in the energy, mobility, new technologies, health, tourism and culture sectors, as he did last December during his visit to Saudi Arabia. And Jean-Noel Barrot, minister for digital affairs, met with Abdullah Al-Swaha, Saudi Arabia’s minister of communications and information technologies, to develop our partnership in the context of the digital transition in our respective countries. Meanwhile, Business France organized the “Vision Golfe” forum at the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty on June 13-14. It brought together more than 900 participants, including almost 200 Saudis.
The success of this forum confirms the interest of French companies in the dynamic markets of the Gulf Cooperation Council states and, in turn, the interest of the region’s authorities and business community in French expertise. Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef carried the voice of the Kingdom and presented the Saudi Industrial Strategy to position Saudi Arabia as a leader in cutting-edge industries. On June 19, the Saudi Ministry of Investment organized the Saudi-French Investment Forum in conjunction with Medef International. Under the joint chairmanship of Al-Falih and Becht, it brought together more than 700 business representatives. The forum strengthened the ties between our business communities and gave impetus to new dynamics in key sectors such as energy, culture, tourism and sustainable development. The forum concluded with the signing of 24 memorandums of understanding and investment agreements worth about $3 billion. The agreements were signed between French and Saudi public and private entities and covered a wide range of key sectors related to the implementation of Vision 2030, particularly energy, telecommunications, sustainable materials, construction, waste management, museum development and promotion of the cultural scene.
This latest success demonstrates the vitality of our exchanges. France supports the ambitious Vision 2030 projects. The country’s companies have a great deal to offer Saudi Arabia and are ready to share their know-how, localize production, contribute to the training of Saudi elites and place their expertise at the service of the Kingdom’s economic diversification megaprojects. It is a win-win relationship. The most spectacular recent example of this relationship was the signing, on June 24, of the contract for the $11 billion Amiral petrochemical megaproject between Aramco and TotalEnergies. The Paris Air Show, from June 19-25, welcomed many Saudi delegations as part of the strengthening of our partnership in the aeronautical sector. This was headlined by the signing of a contract for the purchase of 30 Airbus A320neo aircraft by the airline flynas, worth almost €3 billion ($3.2 billion). The crown prince also honored with his presence the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris from June 22-23, at the initiative of the French president. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Prince Faisal, Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund. In the words of Macron, “no country should have to choose between reducing poverty and protecting the planet: both challenges must be met at the same time.” On this subject, we share with Saudi Arabia the same vision of development and the fight against inequality. The Kingdom is a major actor in humanitarian aid and development assistance. France is delighted to be able to count on its support in the fight against climate change and the reduction of inequalities. Our cooperation is already bearing fruit in Lebanon, where the joint humanitarian aid fund we have set up provides invaluable support to the Lebanese population, which has been weakened by the ongoing economic crisis.
Finally, the crown prince attended the superb reception held at the Grand Palais Ephemere to mark the presentation of Riyadh’s candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo. He met with many actors in the French private and public sectors who were convinced by the quality of the Saudi project. France is proud to support this candidacy. Following this historic visit, which marked a crucial milestone in our near-century-old friendship, we will continue to work together for peace in the region and the world, in the service of prosperity, development for all and the preservation of the planet. It is up to us to build a better future together on the solid foundations of our strategic partnership.
Arab News
