🔻Macron hosts Mohammed bin Salman on a two-day visit to France

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, will receive Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, for a two-day trip starting on Sunday. The visit will cover everything from e-sports to war in the Middle East.

According to a French presidential official, on Monday a number of agreements in the fields of health, transportation, and energy are expected to be signed; an action that indicates the breadth of relations between Paris and Riyadh.

The Sunday evening visit begins with the attendance of Macron and Mohammed bin Salman at the closing ceremony of the eSports World Cup in Paris. The competitions, which include disciplines ranging from computer games to chess, are held with broad support from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and for the first time are being hosted outside that country.

On Monday, Mohammed bin Salman and Macron will also chair the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between Saudi Arabia and France.

The French presidential office said the two sides will discuss the most important regional issues; in a situation, according to the Élysée Palace, in which close coordination between France and its Gulf partners is necessary to strengthen stability and peace in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the United States and with a history of tensions with Iran, is also closely following developments in the Islamic Republic following the U.S.-Israeli war.