French Pres. Macron Hosts Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman

Facts

• On Friday, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for a working lunch at the Élysée Palace in Paris as part of Salman's official visit to France.¹
• The talks between the two leaders are aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in areas such as security and defense as well as the green energy transition. They are also set to discuss the Ukraine war and efforts to end the conflict.²
• The crown prince and Macron are also expected to discuss regional stability — including the political crisis in Lebanon, where both Saudi Arabia and Iran hold significant influence, as well as Tehran's role in ending the Yemen war and its nuclear program.³
• Bin Salman's visit to France also includes leading the Saudi delegation to the international summit "For a New Global Financial Pact" on June 22-23 and attending the kingdom's official reception for Riyadh's bid to host the Expo 2030 next Monday in Paris.⁴
• The visit marks bin Salman's second trip to France since July 2022, with the Saudi crown prince and Macron last meeting in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok.⁵
• The talks between Macron and bin Salman come after the Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month attended the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia, where bin Salman, who maintains close ties with Russia, voiced support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity."⁶

Sources: ¹France 24, ²Arab News, ³RFI, ⁴AL, ⁵Saudi Gazette, and ⁶Digital Journal.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Euractiv. The Saudi leader's visit once again underscores Macron's disgraceful status as the main architect of bin Salman's rehabilitation on the international political stage following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While Paris likes to talk about defending values, it courts the de facto ruler of the ultraconservative kingdom, where government critics continue to be executed and where it remains France's leading arms buyer. It's this flagrant hypocrisy that exposes Western political leaders like Macron as morally bankrupt.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. The crown prince's visit is the latest evidence of Macron's efforts to strategically reposition France in a shifting Middle East and world. Riyadh's reputation is far from impeccable, yet France welcomes the vital role Saudi Arabia plays in peace efforts in Yemen or Sudan. France's traditionally greater foreign policy autonomy and flexibility beyond the Western consensus — combined with the key role it plays in regions such as Africa, Lebanon, and elsewhere — position France to play a role in shaping the world's future.

Predictions