Macron welcomes Saudi crown prince to Paris for visit spanning esports and Middle East diplomacy
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday welcomed Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, for a two-day visit that is set to mix esports spectacle with high-stakes diplomacy over the Middle East.
The two governments are expected to sign agreements on health, transport and energy on Monday, according to a French presidential official, underscoring the breadth of a relationship Paris has worked to preserve despite international criticism over the crown prince's record.
The visit opens in an unusual setting Sunday evening at 1800 GMT, when Macron and MBS attend the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris. The tournament, which brings together top performers in video games and chess, has been strongly backed by the crown prince and is being staged outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
The choice of venue is not incidental. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in esports, entertainment and global sports events as part of its economic diversification drive, while France has been positioning itself as a European hub for gaming and tech industries. The French presidency has also made no secret of its interest in expanding trade and investment ties with Gulf states.
A French official declined to say whether the agreements could include a proposed Saudi-backed theme park known as Dragon Ball, which has been envisioned for the Val-d'Oise region outside Paris.
Saudi Arabia is also preparing for a busy run of global events, including Expo 2030 and the 2034 football World Cup. That growing international footprint has made Riyadh harder for Western governments to ignore, even as concerns over civil liberties and political dissent persist.
The diplomatic centerpiece comes Monday afternoon, when MBS and Macron will co-chair the first meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council. Macron's office said the two leaders would discuss key regional issues and that the current moment called for close coordination between France and its Gulf partners to promote stability and peace in the Middle East.
Iran is expected to be high on the agenda. Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally with a history of tensions with Tehran, has been watching developments in the Islamic Republic closely in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war. France, which has retained diplomatic channels across the region, sees itself as a possible intermediary.
Human rights remain a sensitive backdrop. Whether the topic will figure prominently in the talks is unclear, but the visit comes roughly eight years after Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in 2018. A United Nations investigation described his death as an extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that MBS approved the operation that led to the killing. Riyadh denies that and has blamed rogue operatives.
Macron was among the first Western leaders to meet MBS in Saudi Arabia after the killing, traveling to the kingdom in December 2021. The crown prince has since made multiple visits to France, and the relationship has continued to normalize despite the controversy.
For Macron, the challenge is to keep the relationship productive without appearing to look past the allegations that continue to shadow MBS. This visit is another attempt to strike that balance.