French President Macron to host Saudi Crown Prince MBS in Paris for talks

Energy, regional conflicts, and bilateral cooperation to dominate Emmanuel Macron and Mohammed bin Salman’s discussions.French President Emmanuel Macron is set to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Paris for a two-day state visit, opening with the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup before turning to talks on regional security and economic ties.The visit begins Sunday evening as Macron hosts the crown prince at the esports tournament’s final in Paris — the first time the competition, spanning video games to chess, has been held outside Saudi Arabia.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What are Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan’s joint military capabilities?list 2 of 3Turkiye lays out ‘mechanisms’ of defence pact with Pakistan, Saudi Arabialist 3 of 3The Mecca pact is not just another regional allianceend of listBilateral meetings and a business forum will follow on Monday, when Macron’s office said the two leaders will discuss “the main topics of regional importance, within a framework of close collaboration between France and her partners in the Gulf”.What’s on the agendaOfficials expect discussion of energy routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, including new pipelines, capacity upgrades and alternative port networks, alongside talks on the Iran conflict, Gaza-Israel and the wider situation in Palestine, and developments in Lebanon and Syria.Several agreements on health, transport and energy are due to be signed on Monday. Macron’s adviser said finding a resolution to the US-Israel war on Iran, now in its sixth month, remains out of reach, noting “It’s difficult to see a way out.”The visit is MBS’s third to Paris, following trips in 2022 and 2023, and builds on the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council launched during Macron’s state visit to Riyadh in December 2024.The Paris trip is Prince Mohammed’s first outside the kingdom since Saudi Arabia signed a trilateral defence pact with Turkiye and Pakistan on August 7 — the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, known as the Mecca pact.