French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative to hold a private dinner in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at The Louvre on Sunday was seen as a “message of appreciation” for Prince Muhammad’s role as the “man of the future” and “the drive of change” in the Kingdom, official French sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
It is noteworthy that during Macron’s first year at the Elysee Palace, only two other presidents received this kind of honor: the first was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was invited by Macron to the historic palace of Versailles a few weeks after his election as president.
The second was US President Donald Trump, who was the guest of honor at the French Revolution Day celebrations in July, when Macron and his wife invited the Trump couple to a special dinner at the famous Eiffel Tower.
The Elysee Palace said that the Louvre dinner has provided officials with the opportunity to meet for three hours, two hours of which were devoted to an initial discussion over pressing files and a general review in preparation for the official meeting that will take place at the French presidential palace on Tuesday afternoon.
“The discussions were friendly, which allowed the two men to establish a personal relationship,” Macron’s office said, as quoted by AFP.
The two leaders will now work on a “strategic document” involving a series of contracts to be signed by Macron during a visit to Saudi Arabia later this year, according to the agency.
A French official source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Paris was aware that the visit was not aimed at signing agreements but at building a solid relationship, which would result in contracts that fit Saudi Arabia’s needs and its economic and social development plans.
The French president will receive Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Elysee Palace at 5:15 pm on Tuesday. According to the official program distributed by the French presidency, a closed meeting will be held between Macron and the Crown Prince, followed by an expanded meeting of the two countries’ delegations.
Then, Foreign Ministers Adel Al-Jubeir and Jean-Yves Le Drian will exchange contracts signed by the two countries, following which Macron and Prince Mohammed will address the press.
Tuesday’s evening meetings will be devoted to political files, including the situation in Syria following the chemical attack on the city of Douma.
On Monday, Prince Mohammed met with Le Drian, with whom he discussed bilateral relations in various fields, in addition to developments in the Middle East and efforts to achieve peace and stability.
