Two Days in Paris Redefine Partnership: Strategic Council Launched, Over 22 Agreements, Qiddiya and Aramco Lead with Major Deals

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, concluded a two-day state visit to France (August 23–24), resulting in more than 22 agreements and memorandums of understanding, the inaugural meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, and a joint statement outlining the countries' stance on critical regional issues, from the Strait of Hormuz to Gaza and Lebanon.

The visit, directed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and in response to an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron, marked a qualitative milestone in relations entering their centennial year. It combined the institutionalization of political partnership through the new council, multi-billion-euro economic deals, and security coordination on alternative energy routes amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Day Two Highlights: From Les Invalides to the Élysée

The highlight of the visit began on Monday with an official reception at the historic Les Invalides complex, where French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu led the welcoming party amid a procession of the Republican Guard cavalry. The Saudi royal and French national anthems were played before His Royal Highness reviewed the honor guard. According to 'Arab News', his meeting with Lecornu involved exchanging views on key regional crises and challenges, particularly developments in Iranian, Yemeni, and Lebanese issues.

His Royal Highness then proceeded to the Élysée Palace, where President Macron received him. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting to review the historical and strategic relations between the two countries and explore ways to enhance them across all fields. They exchanged views on regional and international developments and efforts towards them, then jointly chaired the first meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, witnessing the signing ceremony of a package of agreements.

The Council: Partnership Transitions from Visits to Institution

The inaugural council meeting represents the translation of the memorandum of understanding signed by both parties in Riyadh during Macron's state visit in December 2024, when the 'Strategic Partnership Roadmap' was announced. The council, co-chaired by the Crown Prince and the French President, provides an institutional framework encompassing security, defense, economy, investment, energy, technology, industry, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, hydrogen, health, aviation, space, and tourism, transforming the interaction between Riyadh and Paris, which has seen nine summit-level exchanges since 2015, into a regular mechanism.

Attending the council's proceedings and signings from the Saudi side was Minister of Investment Fahd bin Abduljalil Al-Sayegh, and from the French side, Minister of Economy Roland Lescure, who signed a memorandum of understanding to encourage and facilitate investment, including information exchange on opportunities, regulatory support for investors, and organizing joint promotional events.

Economic Harvest: Qiddiya Takes the Lead

The economic harvest was led by an announcement described by Macron as 'unprecedented': the signing of a protocol agreement under which Qiddiya Investment Company, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, will establish three entertainment parks on the former site of the 'Mirapolis' park in Cergy-Pontoise, northwest of Paris, with investments totaling 6 billion euros, creating 22,000 direct jobs. One park will be dedicated to the world of 'manga', in a project Macron said France 'has not seen the likes of since Disneyland Paris', while a French presidential advisor noted the idea was born from a dialogue between the President and the Crown Prince in Riyadh in December 2024.

Aramco followed with the second-largest figure, announcing agreements and memorandums of understanding with French companies with a total potential value exceeding 3.7 billion dollars during the French-Saudi investment roundtable attended by its President and CEO Engineer Amin bin Hassan Al-Nasser. These include an institutional purchase agreement for drilling equipment, a purchase agreement for oil and gas sector pipes, and a memorandum of understanding for 'Aramco Digital' in industrial artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies.

According to 'Arab News', the French-Saudi Business Forum agreements also included: an agreement between 'CMA CGM' and 'Red Sea Gateway Terminal' to develop the fourth terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port with an investment of 434 million euros and a capacity of 2.6 million TEUs annually; a 500 million euro contract for 'Alstom' to supply additional trains for Riyadh Metro lines three and six, with an assembly plant for line seven supporting localization; a memorandum of understanding between French 'Orano' and 'Ma'aden' in nuclear fuel and mining technologies; a strategic partnership between French 'Mistral AI' and Saudi 'HUMAIN' in computing capabilities and joint AI model development and marketing; two export financing packages supported by the French public investment bank (Bpifrance): the first up to 3 billion dollars for 'Saudi Energy', and the second around 5 billion dollars for the National Debt Management Center covering Riyadh Metro expansion, the 'Sharaan' hotel in AlUla, and additional trains for the capital in preparation for Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup; a financing agreement between the Saudi Aviation Group, the Saudi Export-Import Bank, and 'Crédit Agricole' for the purchase of four Airbus aircraft; a joint venture between French 'SAUR' and 'Nesma & Partners' valued at 150 million dollars to establish two water treatment plants for an entertainment project; and an agreement to exchange expertise between 'Atout France' and Expo 2030 Riyadh in organizing major international events.

Defense, Technology, and AlUla

At the governmental level, the two sides signed a letter of intent for defense cooperation covering capability development, cooperation between defense industries, cyber expertise, AI applications, and military education exchange; and a governmental memorandum of understanding in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, including quantum technologies. 'France 24' reported that the agreements included the sale of French military equipment to the Kingdom without detailing, while no announcement was made regarding the 'Rafale' fighter jets file that French media have been discussing for years.

Culturally, the governmental agreement to develop AlUla Province was extended until 2035 after modification, opening new horizons in archaeology, cultural programs, training, tourism, innovation, sustainability, and protecting the province's biosphere.

Joint Statement: Hormuz, Gaza, and Lebanon

Politically, a joint statement was issued following the discussions, calling, according to 'Arab News' and Agence France-Presse, for a 'negotiated solution' to prevent further escalation with Iran, urging Tehran to resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and condemning attacks targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing ensuring the safe passage of commercial ships and restoring freedom of navigation.

On the Yemeni file, the two sides condemned the terrorist Houthi militia attacks on the Kingdom and civilian infrastructure and commercial navigation. In Gaza, they welcomed the announcement of an agreement to disarm Hamas and urged its implementation, called for a sustainable ceasefire, protection of civilians, and facilitation of aid access, rejecting Israeli settlement policy and actions that threaten the two-state solution, which the countries led the New York Conference to support in September 2025.

Regarding Lebanon, the statement emphasized the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the disarmament of non-governmental armed groups, committing the countries to intensify efforts towards a final settlement, and jointly organizing a conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanon's territorial integrity, which was scheduled for last March but postponed due to the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The statement also addressed the situations in Syria and Sudan.

Hormuz on the Table: Task Force for Alternative Routes

On the sidelines of the summit, the French-Saudi joint task force on connectivity in energy and logistics between the Middle East and Europe held a ministerial-level meeting, focusing on identifying priority projects, their financing mechanisms, and the roles of French companies in them, amid the ongoing disruption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of war in February. According to reports from 'Bloomberg' and 'The National', the options include diversifying maritime routes through ports outside the Gulf, expanding pipeline capacity, and regional railway projects.

Opening: Paris Crowns, Riyadh as Permanent Capital

The visit was inaugurated on Sunday evening with His Royal Highness and President Macron attending the closing ceremony of the 2026 World Esports Cup, the first edition held outside the Kingdom, where Macron crowned the Chinese club 'AG.AL' as champion with a prize of 7 million dollars, and the Saudi club 'Falcons' as runner-up, in an edition watched by over 850 million viewers with prizes totaling 75 million dollars, the largest in the game's history, with organizers confirming Riyadh as the permanent headquarters of the tournament. Macron wrote at the end of the first day that the visit was a 'significant milestone', and that the two countries 'have achieved much together and can go further'.

By the Numbers: A Century of Relations

The visit, the sixth by His Royal Highness to France since 2015, comes as relations approach their centennial: the first French consul in 1926, a diplomatic mission in Jeddah in 1932, and King Faisal's — may he rest in peace — visit to Paris in 1967. Trade exchange reached about 11.8 billion dollars in 2025, and France is the fourth-largest investor in the Kingdom with investments nearing 19.2 billion dollars, through about 650 French companies operating in the Kingdom, 39 of which have made Riyadh their regional headquarters.

Analytical Reading

An analytical reading of the visit's outcomes highlights three transformations:
First, the Kingdom has moved in this visit from attracting French investment to becoming an investor creating jobs in France — the Qiddiya project is the largest in the French entertainment sector in three decades, which explains Macron's personal celebration of it and its placement under his 'Choose France' program.
Second, the strategic council shifts the relationship from the rhythm of visits to the rhythm of institution, reducing the dependence of files on the fluctuations of the internal political scene in Paris.
Third, the timing of the visit, at the height of the Hormuz crisis, made France a partner in engineering alternative energy routes to Europe, a file where the Kingdom's interest in securing its exports intersects with Europe's need for stable supplies. These transformations remain contingent on implementation: what was signed in Qiddiya is a protocol, not a building permit, and Aramco's agreements are 'potential' in the company's own words, and the energy task force is still in the project selection phase.