Saudi Arabia and France has on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the Strategic Partnership Council between the governments of the two countries, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, signed the agreement alongside the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot.
The agreement to form the Strategic Partnership Council came on the heels of a meeting between the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
The French President arrived in Riyadh on Monday evening for a three-day state visit. During his meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, both leaders held extensive talks where they reviewed the relations between Saudi Arabia and France and discussed joint efforts to boost cooperation across various fields.
Moreover, they explored opportunities to invest in the available resources in both countries to achieve mutual interests.
📹 | HRH the Crown Prince received President of the French Republic at Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, where an official reception ceremony was held in his honor. 🇸🇦🇫🇷
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) December 2, 2024
Furthermore, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Macron discussed the latest regional and international developments, issues of common concern and efforts made to address them.
Several ministers and high-ranking officials from Saudi Arabia and France attended the meeting.
According to the visit’s schedule, Macron will attend the One Water Summit on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the COP16 in Riyadh.
Moreover, the French President will visit the Riyadh Metro Project and will travel to AlUla on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia and France boast solid relations, sharing similar views on a wide array of topics, and closely cooperating to address multiple issues and drive peace and stability worldwide.
The Saudi Crown Prince visited France in 2023 to bolster ties between the two friendly countries. Meanwhile, Macron visited Saudi Arabia in 2017, 2018 and 2021.
