جهود ولي العهد في فرنسا تفتح آفاق التعاون بمختلف المجالات

Based on the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and in response to the invitation from the President of the French Republic, President Emmanuel Macron, the Crown Prince departed for a state visit to the French Republic.

The Crown Prince, in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron, honored the closing ceremony of the 2026 World Cup for Electronic Sports, which was held in Paris.

The Crown Prince witnessed the French President awarding the club "All Gamers Global" (AG.AL) the title of the 2026 World Cup for Electronic Sports.

On the sidelines of the closing ceremony, the Ministry of Sports signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Sports, Youth, and Community Life in the French Republic; aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the sports field, expanding areas of joint work, and exchanging experiences and practices.

Official Reception and Historical Relations

The Crown Prince arrived at the Hôtel des Invalides in the capital Paris, marking the beginning of a state visit to the French Republic.

Upon the arrival of the Crown Prince's convoy at the palace square, an official reception ceremony took place, where he was welcomed by the Prime Minister of the French Republic, Édouard Philippe.

A group of horsemen from the French Republican Guard and motorcycle displays accompanied the Crown Prince to welcome his visit, followed by the playing of the Saudi royal anthem and the French national anthem.

The Crown Prince met with the Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, at the Élysée Palace in the French capital Paris, where they discussed the historical and strategic relations between the Kingdom and France and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields, serving the interests of both countries and their friendly peoples.

ولي العهد يصل إلى قصر الإليزيه في العاصمة باريس وفي مقدمة مستقبليه رئيس فرنسا. (واس)

Discussion of Current Events and Coordination of Efforts

The meeting addressed current regional and international events and the joint efforts being made regarding them, before the Crown Prince and the French President chaired the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between the governments of the Kingdom and France, which reviewed several topics on its agenda, concluding with the signing of the meeting minutes. The Crown Prince and the French President discussed Saudi-French relations and ways to develop them, and regional and international developments were discussed along with the coordination of joint efforts. The first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council was held, and the meeting minutes were signed, along with the exchange of four agreements and memoranda of understanding concerning AlUla, defense, entertainment, and artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

An agreement was signed to develop AlUla in the cultural, environmental, tourism, economic, and heritage fields, and intentions were announced to enhance defense partnership between the two countries, along with a memorandum to explore the development of a global multi-use entertainment destination in France, in addition to a memorandum for cooperation in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies and capacity and skills development.

Enhancing Investment Partnership and Exploring Opportunities

In the presence of the Crown Prince, Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the President of the French Republic, President Emmanuel Macron, the French-Saudi Roundtable on Investment was held in the French capital Paris, organized by the Ministry of Investment with the participation of several senior officials, business leaders, and CEOs of major companies and institutions in both countries; aimed at enhancing investment partnerships and exploring common opportunities in priority sectors.

The meeting discussed the prospects for cooperation and available opportunities to enhance private sector partnerships, through a session titled "Discussion of Future Prospects and Joint Projects," alongside strategic dialogues for business leaders that focused on financing and developing transformative destinations, enabling industrial partnerships, developing transport and logistics, and building the digital future in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.

21 Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding

The meeting witnessed the announcement of 21 agreements and memoranda of understanding between governmental and private entities in both countries, covering the energy, industry, financial services, transport, logistics, artificial intelligence, culture, health, and tourism sectors, reflecting the expansion of cooperation fields and investment opportunities between the Kingdom and France.

The economic partnership between the two countries is based on historical relations that began in 1926, evolving to the signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership and the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council in December 2024, enhancing cooperation opportunities in new sectors.

The balance of direct French investment in the Kingdom reached 63.9 billion riyals in 2024, more than doubling compared to 2021, making France the fourth largest source of foreign direct investment in the Kingdom, while the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached 44.2 billion riyals in 2025.

The Kingdom is witnessing a growing presence of French companies, with the number of investment licenses reaching 651 licenses across 18 sectors, while foreign direct investment inflows amounted to approximately 23.9 billion riyals during the first quarter of 2026, growing by 2.4% year-on-year.

بحضور ولي العهد والرئيس الفرنسي.. باريس تجمع قادة الأعمال لتعزيز الشراكة الاستثمارية السعودية الفرنسية. (واس).

Expanding Cooperation in Various Fields

The Crown Prince, Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, honored the state dinner held at the Élysée Palace, where he was welcomed upon his arrival by President Emmanuel Macron, the President of the French Republic. A joint statement was issued, highlighting the following:

Enhancing the Strategic Partnership

Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Emmanuel Macron chaired the first meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council and launched new initiatives to expand cooperation in various fields.

Regional Security and the Strait of Hormuz

Emphasizing political and diplomatic solutions, supporting the negotiated solution regarding the Iranian nuclear file, and resuming Tehran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, condemning attacks and threats targeting ships, and stressing the return of navigation to normal and ensuring freedom of passage in accordance with international law.

The Palestinian Issue

Welcoming the agreement to disarm Hamas, calling for a sustainable ceasefire and delivering aid to Gaza, while emphasizing the two-state solution and rejecting settlement activities.

Support for Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria

Supporting state institutions, the army, and security agencies, implementing Resolution 1701, disarming non-state armed groups, and Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territories, in addition to supporting the Presidential Leadership Council and the UN solution, condemning the Houthi attacks on the Kingdom and commercial ships, with France affirming its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, alongside supporting Sudan's sovereignty and stability and ending foreign interventions, and emphasizing Syria's unity and its economic recovery, along with establishing a Saudi-Syrian-French Business Council.

Enhancing Defense Cooperation

Adopting a declaration to enhance defense cooperation, including armament, training, and joint coordination.

Trade and Investment

The statement indicated that bilateral trade rose to approximately $11.8 billion in 2025, with an agreement to enhance investments and financial cooperation.

The Qiddiya Project in France

A memorandum of understanding was signed to explore the development of a multi-use entertainment, cultural, and sports destination in the Sergy-Pontoise area with investments reaching up to 6 billion euros.

Cooperation in Energy and Artificial Intelligence

Expanding cooperation in oil, petrochemicals, renewable energy, energy storage, peaceful nuclear energy, clean hydrogen, and emission reduction technologies, enhancing cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, emerging technologies, and capacity building.

Partnership in AlUla and "Expo 2030"

Extending the Saudi-French partnership regarding AlUla until 2035 in the fields of archaeology, heritage, and culture, with the Kingdom welcoming France's participation in Expo 2030 Riyadh as a significant milestone in the relations between the two countries.

Cultural Center in Paris

The Ministry of Culture announced the establishment of a Saudi cultural center in the French capital, Paris, which will serve as a platform to introduce Saudi culture and highlight its historical depth and creative diversity, through organizing quality cultural programs and engaging practitioners, institutions, and the French public in its initiatives.

Exploring Joint Financing and Investment Opportunities

The National Development Fund signed a memorandum of understanding with the French National Investment Bank "BPI France," aimed at enhancing the strategic partnership and developing frameworks for cooperation in financing and developmental investment, with the memorandum aiming to explore joint financing and investment opportunities, exchange knowledge and experiences, and apply best global practices in developmental financing, alongside developing institutional and human capacities and designing financing models and investment solutions that contribute to transforming cooperation areas into actionable initiatives and projects with sustainable developmental impact.

Developing the Electric Grid

"Saudi Energy" signed a cooperation agreement with the "French Public Investment Bank" during the French-Saudi Roundtable on Investment, to provide competitive financing solutions for the company's purchases and projects in developing and expanding the electric grid, with the agreement being an extension of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides in November 2025.

$53.7 Billion in Trade Exchange

Trade relations between Saudi Arabia and France have witnessed continuous growth over the past five years, with the volume of trade exchange between the two countries during the period from 2021 to 2025 amounting to approximately $53.7 billion, with Saudi exports accounting for 53.4% of it.

The trade exchange between the two countries in 2025 recorded approximately $12 billion, an increase of 43.8% compared to 2021, according to data from the General Authority for Statistics.

Extension of the Development Agreement for AlUla

The Saudi-French Joint Ministerial Committee on AlUla held its meeting in Paris, chaired by the Minister of Culture and Governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, and the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian. Both sides welcomed the signing of an agreement to extend and amend the cultural, environmental, tourism, economic, and heritage development agreement for AlUla, reviewing the achievements of the partnership and areas of cooperation and joint investments that support the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 in attracting visitors and investments, while preserving the cultural and natural heritage of AlUla.