France, Saudi Arabia sign strategic partnership agreement

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - France and Saudi Arabia sealed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement on Monday.

A Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Strategic Partnership Council between the two nations was signed during French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia.

Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed to expand cooperation across multiple sectors including defense, energy transition, culture and mobility.

Macron and Salman also agreed to collaborate on preparing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, scheduled for Feb. 10-11, 2025 in Paris.

"With Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, we're signing a strategic partnership this evening," Macron said.

He emphasized their intent to increase collaboration "in every field."

The Elysee Palace highlighted that the agreement would enable "concrete cooperation and achievements" in diverse domains.

Key diplomatic discussions also centered on regional tensions in the Middle East.

Both leaders prioritized efforts to de-escalate conflicts, particularly in Gaza. They jointly committed to working towards an immediate cease-fire, the release of hostages, ensuring humanitarian aid delivery and searching for a political solution based on the two-state solution, the French presidency said.

The leaders also pledged to pursue diplomatic efforts to consolidate the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon.