RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call from France’s President Emmanuel Macron, the official Saudi Press Agency reported early Sunday.
The leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties between their countries within the framework of their strategic partnership, as well as pressing issues of global and regional importance and reviewed efforts which have been made to enhance security and stability.
The Crown Prince commended Macron’s assertion of his country’s support for security and stability in the region, as well as its rejection of threats to regional stability. The pair also exchanged views on a number of issues of common interest, SPA said.
Earlier in July, French President Emmanuel Macron had hosted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris on Thursday, defying criticism that the invitation is deeply inappropriate barely four years after the murder by Saudi agents of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The meeting was sought as the latest step in the readmission of the de-facto ruler of the kingdom into the international fold, after US President Joe Biden met the man universally known as MBS earlier this month. The topics loomed over the meeting include energy supply as concern grows over possible power shortages due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as reining in the nuclear programme of Riyadh’s top regional foe Iran. –Agencies
