Saudi Arabia and France deepen bilateral relationship

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and Catherine Colonna, the French Foreign Minister, discussed regional and international developments affecting both countries. They discussed bilateral relations between the Kingdom and France and agreed to seek improvements in all areas.  

The French minister arrived in the Kingdom on Wednesday and was received by Walled al-Khuraiji, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs at King Khalid International Airport. 

The meeting was attended by many Saudi officials as well as many French officials. The meeting was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State, Cabinet Member and National Security Advisor Dr Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban, and Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of France Fahd al-Ruwaili. French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille and other French officials also attended the meeting.  

The Kingdom is considered a close ally of France, as it plays a key role in maintaining regional security, peace and stability. The two countries have shown close cooperation over decades of economic, military and political cooperation.   

On the economic level, Saudi Arabia is a very active trading partner, a very favourable market for French companies.  

For France, the most important sectors are urban and high-speed rail transport, civil nuclear energy and defence, the agri-food sector and telecommunications equipment, but also the oil and para-oil sectors are a great opportunity for the economy to invest much more.  

? | HRH the Crown Prince received the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as they reviewed bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them, as well as discussing regional and international developments and the efforts exerted towards them.
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— Foreign Ministry ?? (@KSAmofaEN) February 2, 2023

The Saudi economy enjoys excellent ties not only with France, but also with other countries such as Spain, as they have many objectives, one of which is to strengthen the economies of both countries. In the case of Spain, it is the 14th largest exporter to Saudi Arabia. The main products imported by Spain from the Kingdom are mineral fuels, mineral oils and different types of materials.  

While the products exported from Saudi Arabia to France were refined petroleum, crude oil and aluminium.  

Political relations between the two nations are dense and close. There is cooperation between them and coordination of positions on major issues in the region. In addition, there is a very high level of collaboration in the military, financial and agri-food sectors.  

Economic relations between the two countries are currently very important, as France is the third largest foreign investor in Saudi Arabia.  

France and Saudi Arabia have had close ties since 1926, when their diplomatic relations began, and today the Kingdom is an ally of France on many issues, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, a major regional rival of Saudi Arabia, and the situation of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. It is worth noting that in 1932 France established a diplomatic mission in Jeddah.  

Saudi Arabia and France negotiated a number of contracts relating to military and security, oil and gas, and transport.  

Bilateral cooperation was also deepened in the field of nuclear energy for civilian use. In addition, the two countries reached a number of cooperation agreements in many sectors, such as tourism and finance. 

Saudi Arabia is the leading economic power in the Arab world, and in the coming months the Saudi kingdom intends to invest heavily in France.  

It should be recalled that there have been important collaborations, for example in 2015, when the French president was invited by Saudi Arabia to address a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Arabia. 

At the time, Emmanuel Macron said that the Kingdom is the key to stability and peace in the Middle East.  

These two countries have been linked for a long time, always cooperating and working together in different sectors. And therefore this meeting will have a positive impact for both sides.