Macron Welcomes Saudi Crown Prince for Talks Spanning Esports, Middle East Diplomacy

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday for a two-day visit covering topics from esports to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Several agreements concerning health, transport, and energy are slated for signing on Monday, the second day of the visit, according to a French presidential official, underscoring the robust Paris-Riyadh partnership.

The visit begins on a different note Sunday evening at 1800 GMT, with Macron hosting the Saudi leader—known as MBS—at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris. The tournament, featuring elite competitors in disciplines ranging from video games to chess, is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time and has received strong backing from the crown prince.

The French official declined to comment on whether the bilateral accords might extend to a proposed major theme park project, known as Dragons Ball. Backed by a Saudi fund, the development is mooted for the Val-d’Oise region north of Paris.

Saudi Arabia is also preparing to host a series of major global events, notably Expo 2030 and, most prominently, the FIFA World Cup in 2034.

Human Rights on the Agenda?

Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally with a history of tensions with Iran, is closely monitoring developments in the Islamic Republic amid the ongoing regional conflict involving Israel.

On Monday afternoon, MBS and Macron are scheduled to chair the inaugural meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council. According to the Élysée, the leaders “will discuss key regional issues, in a context calling for close coordination between France and its Gulf partners to foster stability and peace” in the Middle East.

It remains uncertain whether human rights will feature prominently in discussions, nearly eight years after the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018. A United Nations investigation classified Khashoggi’s death as an “extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible,” while U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that MBS had “approved” the operation. Riyadh denies these findings, attributing the act to rogue operatives.

In December 2021, Macron became one of the first major Western leaders to meet MBS in Saudi Arabia following the Khashoggi affair. The Saudi crown prince has made several visits to France since then.

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