While Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has been hosting Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, since Sunday, AFP reported, citing a source at the Élysée Palace, that the main focus of the talks on Monday between the leaders of France and Saudi Arabia would be “mainly Iran and the situation in the Middle East.”

On Monday, the two leaders will chair the first meeting of the new Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council. Several agreements are also expected to be signed in the fields of health, transportation and energy.

The closing ceremony of the eSports World Cup in the evening of Sunday was held in Paris with the attendance of Mr. Macron and the Saudi crown prince. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, was also present at the event.

The competitions, which include games on computers as well as chess, are held with the support of Riyadh, and this year it was the first time that these competitions were held outside Saudi Arabia.

A senior official from the office of the President of France told AFP that the trip by Mr. bin Salman to Paris is “an important sign and shows the depth of relations between France and Saudi Arabia.” 📷EPA/Shutterstock