Saudi crown prince heads to France as Paris seeks closer Gulf ties

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a two-day official visit. The visit began on Sunday with Macron hosting the Saudi leader at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris. This event, backed by the crown prince, brings together top performers in esports, including computer games and chess, and is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.

On Monday, several agreements on health, transport, and energy will be signed, according to a French presidential official. The crown prince and Macron will also chair the first meeting of the Saudi-French strategic partnership council. According to Macron's office, as reported by Middle East Eye, they will discuss key regional issues, with a focus on close coordination between France and its Gulf partners to foster stability and peace in the Middle East.

The Paris-Riyadh relationship appears to be strengthening, with Saudi Arabia set to host several global events, including the Expo 2030 and the football World Cup in 2034, as mentioned by Free Malaysia Today.

Brief written by urgent.news from RFI English, Free Malaysia Today, Middle East Eye — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.