Macron to host Saudi Crown Prince MBS in Paris for two-day state visit
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French President Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris for a two-day state visit beginning Sunday evening. The visit opens with the Esports World Cup closing ceremony, followed by bilateral talks and a business forum on Monday. The trip is the crown prince's first outside Saudi Arabia since the kingdom signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan on August 7.
Key Facts
- The visit begins Sunday evening with Macron hosting the crown prince at the Esports World Cup final in Paris, the first time the competition has been held outside Saudi Arabia.
- Bilateral meetings and a business forum will follow on Monday, with agreements on health, transport and energy due to be signed.
- The Paris trip is Prince Mohammed's first outside the kingdom since Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan on August 7.
- Officials expect discussion of energy routes that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz, including new pipelines, capacity upgrades and alternative port networks.
- The visit is MBS's third to Paris, following trips in 2022 and 2023, and builds on the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council launched in December 2024.
Visit Agenda
The two-day state visit opens Sunday evening as Macron hosts the crown prince at the Esports World Cup final in Paris, the first time the competition has been held outside Saudi Arabia. Bilateral 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". Several agreements on health, transport and energy are due to be signed on Monday. Officials 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.
Regional Security Context
The Paris trip is Prince Mohammed's first outside the kingdom since Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan on August 7. Signed by the prince as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the agreement commits all three states to treat an armed attack on any one of them as an attack on all three. Analysts say the pact reflects Riyadh's push to diversify its security partnerships beyond Washington. The deal builds on a bilateral Saudi-Pakistan mutual defence agreement signed in 2025, and comes as Gulf states weigh how to reduce their reliance on US security guarantees amid the prolonged fallout from the Iran war.
Bilateral Relations
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. France has been a long-standing weapons and defence supplier to Gulf states, and Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a growing investor in the French economy. The two leaders last met in April in Islamabad during talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending the Iran war, agreeing then to stay in "close contact" on de-escalation efforts.
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Macron to host Saudi Crown Prince MBS in Paris for two-day state visit
