Riyadh: His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the ‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬°lys©e Palace in Paris. The meeting marked the first Strategic Partnership Council meeting between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the French president warmly welcomed HRH the Crown Prince and his delegation, expressing hopes for a productive visit. HRH the Crown Prince was also greeted by numerous French ministers and senior officials, while the accompanying Saudi delegation was introduced to the French president.
During their bilateral meeting, HRH the Crown Prince and President Macron discussed the longstanding strategic relations between Saudi Arabia and France, exploring avenues for further collaboration in various sectors that would benefit both nations. They also exchanged perspectives on recent regional and international developments, coordinating joint efforts to address these issues.
Following the bilateral discussions, HRH the Crown Prince and President Macron co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council. The council reviewed several agenda items, and both leaders signed the minutes of the meeting. The session concluded with a ceremony to exchange several agreements and memoranda of understanding.
The agreements included an extension and amendment of a prior agreement focused on the cultural, environmental, tourism, human, economic, and heritage development of AlUla Governorate, signed by Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan and French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-No«l Barrot.
A declaration of intent aimed at enhancing the defense partnership between the two countries was signed by Dr. Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari from the Saudi Ministry of Defense and French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin.
Additionally, a memorandum of understanding to develop a new global, mixed-use, entertainment-focused destination in France was signed by Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Dawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company, and French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure.
Finally, a memorandum on cooperation in artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and skills development was signed between Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and France's Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty. This agreement was formalized by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Minister Roland Lescure.