French President Emmanuel Macron used an unannounced visit to Riyadh on October 21 to deepen security coordination with Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks continue to target the kingdom, while securing a commitment for additional Saudi diesel supplies.
Macron met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi capital. The French presidency said the visit was intended to demonstrate solidarity with Saudi Arabia and continue efforts to secure and diversify hydrocarbon supplies. The two sides agreed to consult on expanding security cooperation and on infrastructure projects to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera’s report on the visit.
Saudi Arabia agreed to supply France with extra diesel for as many months as necessary, the report said, but the presidency did not specify the quantity or delivery schedule. The commitment follows separate Gulf pledges that Al Jazeera said would bring France’s announced diesel commitments to 295,000 tonnes a month, or just more than 10 percent of its consumption.
The visit also comes as French military assets are being sent to Saudi Arabia under an earlier agreement to help protect the Red Sea port of Yanbu. France has said its support is defensive. A separate Al Jazeera report on the European deployments said French assistance would include soldiers, radars and defence systems, although Macron has not detailed the scale.
Analysts quoted in that report warned that European support could draw France and the United Kingdom more directly into the Saudi-Houthi conflict if the Houthis treat the deployments as offensive. The scope of the expanded French-Saudi security cooperation, along with the volume and duration of the diesel deliveries, remains unspecified.