Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, met French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday and held wide ranging talks on ways to further enhance Saudi-French defense ties. The efforts of the two countries to combat terrorism were also reviewed. The Deputy Crown Prince also met French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. During the meeting, they reviewed the latest developments in the region and a number of issues related to strengthening the partnership between the two countries. Prince Muhammad met on Tuesday Chairperson of the Gulf-French Friendship Committee of the French Parliament Natalie Goulet. On Monday, Prince Muhammad held talks with French President Francois Hollande and Premier Manuel Valls. In the hour-long meeting, Prince Muhammad and Hollande discussed ways to further bolster bilateral strategic partnership in various spheres. Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf met his French counterpart Michel Saban. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Assaf stressed the deep relations between the Kingdom and France in various fields, especially in the economic field and trade exchanges. "The meeting focused on the vast investment opportunities that lay open in the Kingdom following the approval of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program," he said.
