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After the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Emmanuel Macron was on a visit to Saudi Arabia. The President of the Republic met the Crown Prince, Mohammed ben Salman, Saturday, December 4.
Visiting Saudi Arabia on Saturday, December 4, Emmanuel Macron became the first Western head of state to meet Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, since the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The president’s visit was controversial. “We were obviously able to discuss the issue of human rights, the sensitivity of the international community after what may have happened, it was a direct exchange, and I hope effective”, said Emmanuel Macron.
But in this balancing act, it is impossible for France to influence the Gulf without talking to Saudi Arabia. Beyond the handshake between the two men, the French president wants to have a strategic, military and economic role in the region. Especially in relation to the quarrel between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, playing the intermediaries. “Lebanon is on the verge of bankruptcy and any assistance that will be provided will give a breath of fresh air to this country closely linked to France, but which is in a catastrophic situation”, developed Pascal Boniface, founder and director of IRIS.