Macron hosts Saudi crown prince for visit ranging from esports to Mideast

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a two-day visit to Paris, covering topics ranging from esports to Middle East stability. According to a French presidential official, several agreements on health, transport, and energy would be signed on the second day of the visit. The visit began on Sunday evening with Macron hosting MBS at the Esports World Cup closing ceremony, the first of its kind outside Saudi Arabia.

The French official did not comment on whether the agreements would cover the Dragons Ball theme park, proposed for the Val-d'Oise region outside Paris. Saudi Arabia, a key US ally with a history of tensions with Iran, is watching the situation closely following the US-Israeli war. On Monday, MBS and Macron will hold the first meeting of the Saudi-French strategic partnership council to discuss regional issues and foster stability in the Middle East.

The agenda remains unclear, particularly regarding human rights, eight years after the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which UN investigators deemed an "extrajudicial killing" for which Saudi Arabia is responsible. Despite the controversy, Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet MBS in Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of Khashoggi's death, and the Saudi crown prince has since visited France multiple times.