“The boss is coming!”. Suddenly, dozens of guests rush to the stage of the ephemeral Grand Palace, converted into a Saudi palace for an evening, this Monday, June 19. Through the crowd, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes all the hands that come up and multiplies the selfies, a broad smile from ear to ear. “The prince loves Paris very much, confided to us a businessman who was able to talk to him. He is very happy at the moment. Very.” A real rock star welcome in the heart of Paris.
“And why not?”, Launches Jack Lang in the audience, evoking the long stay in France of this all-powerful prince, accused by the CIA of having ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate of Istanbul, in October 2018. “I am very impressed by the economic development of Saudi Arabia in a few years: in the areas they cover, they are really very strong”, continues the former Minister of Culture and President of the Institute of the Arab World, summarizing the state of mind of this gala evening – with cocktails, but without alcohol – in front of the Eiffel Tower. The apogee of Saudi soft power in France.
France prefers Saudi Arabia to Italy
The impressive Saudi delegation in Paris, made up of MBS, a slew of ministers and four astronauts, aims to promote Riyadh’s candidacy for the 2030 World Expo. The International Exhibitions Bureau, whose headquarters are in the French capital, is reviewing applications this week. France has chosen to ride for Saudi Arabia, to the great detriment of our Italian neighbors: Rome is also a candidate, as is Busan in South Korea.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also made the trip to Paris on Tuesday, to praise the merits of the Italian candidacy but also to set the record straight with the Élysée. “It is normal for others to be disappointed, explains the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, after having attended a demonstration of traditional Saudi dance, based on sword movements. The regime is what it is… But this country is changing enormously and we are thinking of civil society, of this Saudi youth who crave culture, cinema, fashion. We have a role of soft power to play, as an alternative to the Anglo-Saxons.”
The well-placed Saudi candidacy
For Riyadh, French support is proving invaluable. MBS intends to make this Universal Exhibition the culmination of its “Vision 2030″, a major national plan which aims to modernize Saudi Arabia and project the kingdom into the post-oil era. So, that a European, democratic country, stronghold of culture and tourism, validates this original candidacy constitutes an undeniable asset for the Saudis. “Saudi Arabia considers France as a neighboring country, and France sees Saudi Arabia as European, assures us the Saudi ambassador in Paris, Fahad al-Ruwaily, in impeccable French. Emmanuel Macron was smart to support publicize Riyadh’s candidacy, he sees the change our country is going through.”
In the ephemeral Grand Palace, the Saudis have reproduced, almost life-size, their Universal Exhibition project in Riyadh, with simulation of arrival at the airport, cycle path to reach the newly built district (while it is, in this mid-June, 42°C in the Saudi capital…), reproduction of one of the new metro lines and 360° projection in a futuristic setting, with humanoid robots dancing at a concert among humans.
With this show of force in Paris, the Saudi capital is the favorite in the race for the Universal Exhibition, the winner of which will be revealed in November. “There will be suspense until the end but Riyadh is off to a good start, wants to believe a regular in the Saudi kingdom. The real danger never came from Rome, but from the candidacy of Busan, in South Korea.” South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol has lunch on Tuesday afternoon with Emmanuel Macron. His delegation, with 200 officials, arrived in Paris on a plane bearing the image of K-pop girl band Blackpink. Another form of cultural soft power.