Paris — Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, will discuss with French President Francois Hollande regional issues and means to promote ties between the two countries during an official visit on Monday. This will be Prince Muhammad's second official visit to France and will aim at consolidating the existing distinguished partnership between Riyadh and Paris in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. On Tuesday, the Deputy Crown Prince, who is also chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will co-chair the third meeting of the Saudi-French Joint Committee, the French Embassy in Riyadh said in a statement. The French Embassy in Riyadh said that the first meeting of the joint committee was held in Paris in June 2015 and the second was organized in Riyadh last October. The meetings have confirmed that the relationship between Saudi Arabia and France was based on mutual trust and friendship, the embassy added. It also said that the Saudi-French joint committee aims at promoting comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and deepening the existing excellent relations in the different sectors of economy, tourism and environment. Discussions between the Deputy Crown Prince and Hollande are expected to focus on the promising investment opportunities as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. Prince Muhammad will also hold talks with French politicians, including Prime Minister Manuel Valls. The two sides will discuss "new perspectives of cooperation in the framework of the National Transformation Program," the embassy said in its statement. On the sidelines of these meetings, high-ranking Saudi economists will hold talks with French business leaders with the aim of encouraging Saudi companies to invest in France and attracting French companies to work in Saudi Arabia. France is the third-biggest foreign investor in Saudi Arabia.
