RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a strategic partnership on Monday aimed at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections.

The French leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a three-day state visit just as a political crisis threatens to topple the government in Paris.

After a meeting with Prince Mohammed, Macron’s office announced the signing of a new partnership aimed at improving cooperation in “def­ence, energy transition, culture, mobility between the two countries”.

The two leaders also “agreed to make every effort to contribute to de-escalation in the region”, including helping to consolidate the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

“Together, they called for the holding of presidential elections in Lebanon with the aim of bringing the Lebanese people together and carrying out the reforms necessary for the stability and security of the country,” the statement from President Macron’s office said.

President Macron’s three-day stay also coincides with a flare-up of violence in Syria, where anti-government fighters have seized Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city.

Support for Lebanese army

Macron’s state visit is the first by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing what the presidency calls a “very close relationship”.

In 2021, Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet Crown Prince Mohammed in Riy­adh after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the country’s consulate in Istanbul.

The French president and Prince Mohammed will see how they “work together” on the conflicts shaking the region, with Lebanon at the “heart of the discussions”, the French presidency said in an earlier statement.

Macron is hoping for Saudi support for the Lebanese army, which is being deployed towards the border with Israel under the ceasefire, but is poorly armed and trained.

He will also try to win Saudi help to reverse the political disintegration that has plunged Lebanon’s government and economy into catastrophe.

Paris and Riyadh are also calling for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza and a “political outcome” based on the two-state solution of separate Israeli and Palestinian states.

Saudi Arabia has paused discussions with Washington on potentially recognising Israel in return for deeper security and bilateral ties with the United States.

In September, the crown prince hardened his position, insisting that Saudi Arabia would not establish ties with Israel before the creation of a Palestinian state.

Macron is accompanied by about 50 senior officials from major French companies, including EDF, TotalEn­ergies and Veolia, as well as start-ups in artificial intelligence and quantum physics.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024