RIYADH: French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for high-level strategic talks with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, formally pledging comprehensive French military support to bolster Saudi Arabia’s defense architecture against intensifying Houthi attacks.
Speaking to reporters in Doha prior to his departure for the Saudi capital, Macron emphasized that Paris stands resolutely alongside the Kingdom to safeguard its territorial integrity and secure its national borders against cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Confirming active military deployment, Macron revealed that France has stationed specialized military personnel and advanced defensive capabilities within the Kingdom over the past eight days to assist Saudi air defense efforts against attacks orchestrated by Iran-backed Houthi militias.
“We are moving forward with Saudi Arabia in this direction, and therefore we have a defensive contribution to help,” Macron stated, highlighting the deepening bilateral security alignment.
The French President further disclosed that Paris has formally proposed participating in the technical rehabilitation and active physical protection of Saudi Arabia’s strategic East-West oil pipeline, which has sustained operational damage from recent Houthi targeting.
Macron’s visit marks the first diplomatic trip by a Western head of state to the Kingdom since Houthi forces escalated military actions earlier this month, striking civilian infrastructure, commercial aviation hubs, and core energy installations.
The Élysée Palace issued an official statement noting that the presidential visit is designed to demonstrate unwavering French solidarity with Saudi Arabia while simultaneously advancing joint international efforts to secure and diversify reliable hydrocarbon energy supplies.
“The president of the republic is travelling to Saudi Arabia this afternoon to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” the Élysée Palace statement read, underlining the objective to “demonstrate France’s solidarity with the Kingdom in the face of the attacks carried out by the Houthis against its territory, and to continue efforts undertaken on securing and diversifying hydrocarbon supplies.”
Macron’s arrival in Riyadh follows an extensive regional tour encompassing Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar, focused on consolidating strategic defense frameworks and stabilizing regional energy corridors.
The unprecedented wave of Houthi aerial assaults has caused severe logistical disruptions across Saudi Arabia, forcing temporary flight suspensions at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and prompting the postponement of the 10th Future Investment Initiative conference, which was originally scheduled for October 26–29.
The presidential visit builds upon foundational consultations held earlier in the week. On Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Riyadh for bilateral talks covering strategic cooperation, regional stability, and the cascading fallout of ongoing Middle East conflicts.
According to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both diplomats reviewed the multi-faceted strategic partnership and explored new avenues to deepen institutional collaboration. Minister Barrot reiterated France’s condemnation of Houthi terrorist acts, expressing total solidarity with the Kingdom. Both sides mutually stressed the imperative of intensifying diplomatic coordination to secure international maritime waterways, protect freedom of navigation, and pursue sustainable political resolutions to regional crises.
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