PHOTO- French President Emmanuel Macron (L) is hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in Paris for a two-day official visit on August 23–24, 2026.
Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was welcomed on Sunday by French President Emmanuel Macron for a two-day visit to the country. Several agreements on health, transport and energy will be signed on the second day of the visit on Monday underlining the strength of the Paris-Riyadh
Paris -French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday for a two-day visit set to range from esports to the war in the Middle East.
Several agreements on health, transport and energy will be signed on the second day of the visit on Monday, according to a French presidential official, underlining the strength of the Paris-Riyadh relationship.
But the visit will kick off in a different style on Sunday evening from 1800 GMT with Macron hosting the Saudi strongman – known as MBS – at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup hosted by Paris.
Why Saudi Arabia is spending billions to become a global Esports power?
The event, which brings together the leading performers in esports ranging from computer games to chess and has been eagerly backed by MBS, is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
The French presidential official declined to comment on whether the agreements could touch on a vast theme park known as Dragons Ball, backed by a Saudi fund, which is mooted for the Val-d’Oise region outside Paris.
Saudi Arabia is also set to host a string of key global events, notably the Expo 2030 and above all the football World Cup in 2034.
According to the Élysée, the visit “reflects the vitality of the dialogue between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France, and will help to strengthen the strategic partnership that binds our two countries. To that end, the President of the Republic and the crown prince will for the first time hold a meeting of the Franco-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council”.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
