French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday hosts Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris. ManilaBulletin
The visit of the 37-year-old, widely known as "MBS", comes less than a year after his last visit to the Elysee Palace and underlines the warm relationship between Paris and Riyadh that has irked rights activists in the wake of the 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi.
On Monday, he will also attend an official Saudi reception for Riyadh's candidacy to host Expo 2030, a bid for which Saudi wants strong French support. "We are going to tell him how important the Ukraine issue is and how Saudi Arabia can exert influence, including on Russia," added the official.Saudi Arabia has maintained a cautious stance throughout the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, stopping short of condemning the assault while emphasising the importance of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Macron is also likely to encourage MBS to use Saudi Arabia's influence among the Sunni community in Lebanon to break the deadlock that has seen the country repeatedly fail to choose a new president. "In Saudi Arabia's normalisation with Iran, there is potential for easing tensions in the region," said the French official, expressing hope it could also smooth the path to an election of a Lebanese president.But despite championing rapid economic and political reform, a shadow remains cast over the prince by the case of Khashoggi, who was killed and dismembered inside Riyadh's Istanbul consulate in 2018.
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