Paris — Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, and French President Francois Hollande reviewed distinguished bilateral relations, the existing strategic partnership, and continuing development of cooperation within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030. During his meeting with Hollande at Elysee Palace here on Monday, the Deputy Crown Prince conveyed to the French president the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. They also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and efforts being exerted for the security and stability of the region. Addressing the media, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said the deputy crown prince discussed with the French president ways to stop Iranian interference in the region, Al Arabiya News said. Hollande also ensured support for Saudi Vision 2030, saying its impact will be evident across the region. The Deputy Crown Prince also met French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. They discussed aspects of existing cooperation between the two friendly countries and ways of developing them in various fields. Several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) are expected to be signed on the sidelines of the visit of Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad. Khaled Al-Anqari, Saudi ambassador to France, said the visit will further bolster the historic relations between the two countries. Al-Anqari noted that the Saudi-French political positions and views are identical towards most of the global issues, particularly with regard to the Middle East issues. The 3rd edition of the Saudi – French Business Opportunities Forum will be held on the sidelines of the high-profile visit, said the ambassador. Several business leaders and economic experts from both the countries will attend the forum, which is aimed at exploring more avenues of investment opportunities in both the countries. Al-Anqari said the trade exchange between the two countries reached around SR53 billion. Meanwhile, Muhammad Ali Binladin, president of the Saudi – French Business Council (SFBC), said the visit of Deputy Crown Prince to France will give a big push to the bilateral cooperation, reaching new horizons and fields, especially in the backdrop of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the ambitious National Transformation Program. "The visit will boost the existing excellent and comprehensive strategic business partnership between the two countries and SFBC has played a significant role in taking the relations to this level," he said while urging the French investors to take advantage of the best investment opportunities available in the Kingdom. France is the Kingdom's third largest foreign investor and the top oil importer from the Kingdom. Senior officials in France also spoke about distinguished political and economic relations between Riyadh and Paris, especially in light of the 80 French companies working in the Kingdom which contribute to nationalizing technology as well as training 27,000 Saudis. Saudi-French relations, which began at the time of King Faisal and the French President Charles de Gaulle in 1967, are distinctive because of the convergence of views on many regional issues, including Syria, Iraq, Iranian intervention in the region, Yemen, Libya and the fight against terrorists.
