Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense, arrived in France on a three-day visit, which is expected to open new horizons in the relations between the two countries.
Upon his arrival in Paris on Sunday, the Crown Prince was received by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, according to Agence France Presse (AFP).
France is the fourth leg of the international tour of the Crown Prince who already visited Egypt, UK and the United States. The Prince will visit Spain next Thursday.
Prince Mohammed will meet on Monday with French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. On Tuesday afternoon, he will meet with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.
Earlier, the Elysee announced that, above all, Macron wishes to establish a "new cooperation" with Saudi Arabia.
A source close to the Crown Prince's delegation told AFP that the visit is “about building a new partnership and not just running after contracts.”
The focus of the visit will be on culture, tourism, future investments and new technologies, especially during an upcoming visit by Prince Mohammed to startups.
Around 18 memorandums of understanding in energy, agriculture, tourism and culture are set to be signed at an official Saudi-French CEO Forum. A Franco-Saudi cooperation deal to develop al-Ula, is also expected to be a central highlight of the visit.
Saudi Ambassador to France Khalid bin Mohammed al-Anqari affirmed that the Saudi-French partnership is strong and based on common strategic interests.
In a statement, the ambassador described the Prince’s visit to France as important particularly as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing a new phase of economic, social and political reforms.
"The partnership between the Kingdom and France can inspire, meet and support these transformations, not only to deepen, but to re-establish the Franco-Saudi strategic partnership on joint ventures in various fields," the ambassador said.
Secretary-General of the Franco-Arab Chamber of Commerce, Saleh Baker al-Tayyar considered that the visit prepares for new fields of joint cooperation between both countries in light of global challenges.
The visit could lead to "uniting efforts to deter all regimes and groups that support terrorism and violate the laws and regulations of the Security Council” according to Tayyar.
The visit is expected to push for trade and investment cooperation, open new channels of investment in both directions, and focus on technical and educational issues.
Tayyar believes that the visit will mark a "historic shift in the course of relations between the two countries. I expect to see many agreements in the field of joint vision on political issues in the Middle East and the Arab world."
The two countries will also unite their stances on the Iranian nuclear file as well as Tehran’s support to Houthi militias, which violated all international laws, indicated Tayyar.
In addition, major agreements will be signed which consolidate the common vision to achieve strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and France.
