Macron holds talks over Lebanese army deployment with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

France wants to elevate its relationship with Saudi Arabia to 'strategic partnership'

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh on Monday for a three-day visit during which he will sign business deals and discuss regional crises with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The two leaders, who will have a one-on-one dinner on Tuesday, aim to bolster support for the Lebanese army’s reposting in the south of the country after a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

The visit has been described as “exceptional” by Mr Macron’s advisers, who said before the trip that he will seek to “significantly strengthen the economic partnership that exists between our two countries”.

Mr Macron is scheduled to spend three days in Saudi Arabia – significantly longer than his previous visits, which did not exceed one day. It will include a trip to the Unesco World Heritage site of AlUla.

The Saudi delegation that welcomed Mr Macron at the airport included Minister for Commerce, Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasab, and governor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz.

Mr Macron, accompanied by members of his cabinet including Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Culture Minister Rachida Dati, then went to Al Yamamah Palace for a meeting with Prince Mohammed.

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  French President Emmanuel Macron on a tour as part of his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, on December 3. SPA

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  Mr Macron is greeted at one of his stops on December 3. SPA

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  Mr Macron oversees the signing of Saudi-French agreements in Riyadh. SPA

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  Mr Macron accompanied by members of his delegation. SPA

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  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Mr Macron and chief executives of French companies on the sidelines of the OneWaterSummit in Riyadh on December 3. SPA

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  Prince Mohammed with one of the French chief executives. SPA

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  Prince Mohammed and Mr Macron with the French leaders of industry on the sidelines of the OneWaterSummit. SPA

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  Prince Mohammed speaks with Mr Macron on the second day of the French President's three-day visit, at the OneWaterSummit in Riyadh on December 3. SPA

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  Mr Macron and Prince Mohammed after the French President's arrival in Riyadh on December 2. SPA

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  Prince Mohammed and Mr Macron hold talks as their delegations watch on. SPA

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  Prince Mohammed and Mr Macron are discussing bolstering the Lebanese army's presence in the country's south, as part of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement, and strengthening bonds between France and Saudi Arabia. SPA

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  Mr Macron meets Saudi officials, accompanied by Prince Mohammed. Saudi Royal Palace / AP

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  Prince Mohammed and Mr Macron inspect an honour guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. Saudi Royal Palace / AP

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  Mr Macron and Prince Mohammed before their meeting in Riyadh on December 2. All photos from here on: AFP

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  Mr Macron met Prince Mohammed in Riyadh as part of a three-day visit to the kingdom

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  Mr Macron and Prince Mohammed walk past an honour guard

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  Mr Macron and Prince Mohammed were to discuss matters including the stationing of the Lebanese Armed Forces in the country's south

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  Prince Mohammed welcomes French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who is part of Mr Macron's delegation to the kingdom

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  Prince Mohammed greets French presidential diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne in Riyadh

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  Mr Macron is received by Prince Mohammed on his arrival in Riyadh

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  Mr Macron is welcomed by Prince Mohammed after arriving in the Saudi capital on Monday for a three-day visit

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  French and Saudi flags fly at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh

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  Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Deputy Governor of the Riyadh region, greets Mr Macron

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  Mr Macron shakes the hands of Saudi dignitaries after disembarking in Riyadh

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  The scene is set on the tarmac for Mr Macron's arrival

Defence deals are reportedly also on the table, as France intensifies its push to sell about 50 Rafale fighter jets, made by Dassault Aviation, to Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported. France is facing fierce competition from Germany’s Eurofighter Typhoon jets and US-made Boeing F-15s.

France wants to elevate its relationship with Saudi Arabia to a “strategic partnership”, which provides “enhanced political dialogue, involving foreign and defence ministers on strategic matters which concern our two countries”, the adviser said.

Dozens of French businessmen will be accompanying Mr Macron during his visit, from major companies including Total, EDF and Velia to promising start-ups such as Pasqal, Alan, Mistral AI and Loft Orbital. “For some, they will sign contracts in Riyadh. For others, they are also engaged in the development of AlUla,” a second adviser to Mr Macron said.

Mr Macron is scheduled to visit line four of the metro in Riyadh, which was built by French companies Egis, Alstom, and Transdev. He will also co-preside the plenary of the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund alongside Yasir Al Rumayyan, the Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, and attend a French-Saudi business summit.

The reconstruction of war-torn Lebanon, where losses caused by Israeli bombardments has been estimated at $8.5 billion by the World Bank, will also be on the agenda.

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Brussels in October. AFP

“We’ll also discuss consolidating the ceasefire and the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty over its own territory, with the return and redeployment of the Lebanese armed forces,” the first adviser said. “We have mobilised nationally and we will do so very quickly on the ground with the deployment of engineering and demining capabilities that the Lebanese Armed Forces need to be able to redeploy to the south and fulfil the mandate that has been given to them. This obviously requires international mobilisation.”

France hopes that Lebanon will soon elect a new president and advisers to the Elysee said Paris will be watching closely a parliamentary session planned for January 9 in Beirut. “This political question will indeed be at the heart of our discussions,” the first adviser said. “Our wish is to ensure that Lebanese officials agree on a candidate who is able to appoint a government, a government that must be able to meet the expectations of the Lebanese and the international community when it comes to reforms to be made.”

After jointly announcing a ceasefire in Lebanon with the US, France hopes to continue pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza with the support of Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia is calling for the concrete establishment of a Palestinian state. Today, it is a question of seeing how to open up this political perspective and it is an objective that we share,” the adviser said.

There will also be discussions on Iran and the latest developments in Syria, where rebels have seized Idlib and Aleppo in recent days in the boldest assault in years. “It will be important for the two heads of state to be able to discuss their perception of Iran's role in the future and in the current escalation, and to work to find convergences on the positions that we can support on this subject, particularly with regard to the Trump administration,” the adviser said.