Mohammed bin Salman in Paris on Sunday to discuss important files with Macron

[The SC]

Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macaron at a previous meeting in Riyadh (SPA)


Paris

Saudi Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz will visit France on Sunday for an official visit as the crown prince. The visit is expected to last three days and end with a formal dinner at the Elysee at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, who is meeting the Crown Prince for the second time after a first meeting in Riyadh in November.

The sources said that the visit will be an opportunity to launch a "new strategic partnership" between Saudi Arabia and France that will push their relations forward, especially as the two parties wish to fall within the framework of the vision of «Saudi Arabia 2030». The sources added that Riyadh and Paris are preparing to enter a "new phase" in their relations, which will not be based, as in the past, on the contracts concluded in all fields, but on how France is involved in achieving the objectives of the development and openness plan approved by Riyadh.

Saudi Crown Prince and President Makron will hold several meetings during which they will discuss important issues. Prince Mohammed bin Salman will also meet with French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and will receive several French ministers, headed by the foreign and defense ministers. The Crown Prince is expected to visit an advanced business and research center called "Station F" in Paris and the Arab World Institute, while the Foreign Ministry will host an important economic conference sponsored by Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

French sources said that the new partnership, which will be announced in the Elysee on Tuesday evening, revolves around three axes. The first deals with the axis of foreign policy and security; the second is the axis of economic, technological, digital and energy development, and the third is university and scientific relations, health, heritage and tourism.


https://aawsat.com/home/article/1228447/محمد-بن-سلمان-في-باريس-الأحد-ويناقش-مع-ماكرون-ملفات-مهمة

 

[The SC]

King of Spain to receive crown prince next Thursday

 

[The SC]

What will France get at the end of Mohammed bin Salman’s visit? Forget lucrative arms contracts for the moment. Riyadh has decided that an exercise in soft power will get Paris to toe the line in future. Cue some touchy feely deals in tourism, culture and entertainment.

Entertainment industry

Which is good news if you like classical music. Saudi Arabia announced recently that it would invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over the next years.

And as part of this the Crown Prince has signed an agreement with Paris to help set up a national orchestra and opera in Jeddah city.

There’s also an initiative to support the development of Saudi film and cinema industry. Saudi short films will this year – for the first time – be entered in the Cannes Film Festival.

There’s some neat timing in this as well, as it comes as the first cinema for decades is due to open in Riyadh on the 18th of this this month. The start, it’s hoped, of a thriving home-grown film industry.

But the biggest cultural deal being signed in France is an agreement for the French to help transform a huge chunk of almost uninhabited Saudi land into a multi-billion dollar open air museum.

France will also develop the al-Ula – a 5,000-year ancient valley in Northwest – into a cultural tourism destination.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/vie...-the-Seine-What-should-the-French-learn-.html