After his arrival scheduled for Wednesday evening, Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the wealthy Saudi kingdom, is due to meet with Emmanuel Macron this Friday, June 16. On the side of the Elysée, we dream that MBS will leverage to convince emerging countries to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and support the “new global financial pact” which must be negotiated in Paris.
On the menu of this working lunch, bilateral relations and Ukraine will be the main topics. The preparations for the Summit for a new global financial pact, on June 22 and 23 in Paris, will certainly be mentioned. MBS must participate, according to the press release from the Saudi Royal Palace which announced this “state visit”.
The event aims to “bring together private and public funding where the planet and people need it most, whether to fight poverty, drive the necessary climate transition, and protect biodiversity”, he says. -on the French side.
War in Ukraine
Will also be discussed “the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the rest of the world”, indicated the French presidency, also in the presence of the head of French diplomacy Catherine Colonna. Emmanuel Macron says he wants to convince non-aligned countries to put pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine.
In May, he provided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with a French plane to fly to the G7 in Japan, where the Indian and Brazilian leaders were also present, via an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia. This passage had allowed him “to have very clear support from Saudi Arabia and several powers” of the Gulf, “which is a real turning point”, had assured the French president.
Last July, during MBS’s previous visit to Paris, both said they wanted to cooperate to “mitigate the effects” of the conflict. Human rights defenders and the French left then accused Emmanuel Macron of sacrificing his principles to “pragmatism” in the face of the explosion in energy prices linked to the war.
The Shadow of Human Rights and Jamal Khashoggi
At the time, it was MBS’s first visit to France since the 2018 assassination in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, attributed to the crown prince in particular by American intelligence.
One of the biggest arms buyers in the world, Saudi Arabia is also regularly accused of serious human rights violations.
The prince is also the owner of a sumptuous residence called Château Louis XIV, near Versailles, in the Paris region.
Crisis in Lebanon
Emmanuel Macron and MBS will also address “regional stability issues” according to the Elysée, and therefore probably the crisis in Lebanon, where Ryad retains major influence. Emmanuel Macron has just appointed his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian as personal emissary to try to help the country of the Cedars to break the political impasse – and he is due to go there next week.
A subject that risks being raised, especially since the Lebanese Parliament failed this Wednesday, for the twelfth time, to elect a president, and the showdown between the powerful pro-Iranian Hezbollah and its adversaries increases the risk of a prolonged power vacuum in the country.
However, on the diplomatic side, we are witnessing a historic rapprochement between Riyadh and its Shiite enemy Iran, under the aegis of China. Riyadh could therefore “play a role in softening the position of Hezbollah via Iran, in finding a compromise solution” for a new Lebanese president, believes Denis Bauchard, adviser for the Middle East at the French Institute for International Relations ( Ifri) to AFP. For the expert, “The question is whether the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran can contribute to the appeasement of political life in Lebanon”.
Iranian file and universal exhibition
The Iranian dossier will certainly be discussed, believes Denis Bauchard, in particular the Iranians’ ability to calm things down in Yemen, their concern about an escalation on nuclear power, and their forecasts about the possibility that the Iranians will exceed the enrichment threshold. of uranium.
Finally, Riyadh announced that MBS is to attend a ceremony on June 19 in the French capital to formalize Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.