Saudi Arabia Crown Prince, France’s Macron meet in Paris
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Muhammab bin Salman (MBS), met for a tet-a-tet in Paris on Friday, June 16.
Reportedly, the two sides discussed the war in Ukraine. Macron hopes Saudi Arabia, who has so far remained aloof of the conflict, can use its influence on Russia.
Both sides also called for a “rapid end to the institutional political vacuum in Lebanon,” where opposing parliamentary bands have failed to appoint the president for the 12th time in a row.
The two men also discussed bilateral ties. Macron stressed “the willingness of French companies to continue to support Saudi Arabia in implementing its ambitious Vision 2030,” the Kingdom’s economic and social reform agenda.
Macron also stated that France was prepared “to support Saudi Arabia in strengthening its defense capabilities.”
Human rights groups criticized the French President for hosting the Crown Prince so intimately, pointing to the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, which MBS was allegedly directly involved in, as proof of the crimes sponsored by the Saudi government.
“Macron has been the main architect of the rehabilitation of the Saudi prince since 2018,” said the general secretary of Amnesty France, Agnès Callamard, in an interview with AFP.
MBS will also attend the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact while in Paris, as well as lobbying for Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the Expo 2030 world fair.