Macron to host Saudi crown prince for working dinner
Paris, Jul 27 (EFE).- France’s president Emmanuel Macron is set to host Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for a working dinner at the Élysée Palace on Thursday.
The announcement Wednesday comes despite ongoing international criticism directed at the crown prince — known as MBS — for Riyadh’s alleged role in the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the country’s Istabul consulate.
The French presidency said the meeting would take place at 8.35pm local time (6.35pm GMT). Neither leader is expected to make a public statement.
The Élysée did not provide an agenda for the working dinner, although the pair are expected to address energy, the fight against terrorism and human rights.
Western leaders for years avoided MBS since he was directly linked to Khashoggi’s killing by a United States intelligence report.
Macron, however, visited the crown prince in 2021.
Others followed suit, including former British prime minister Boris Johnson and more recently US president Joe Biden.
The Saudi crown prince is set to visit Greece and France during his brief European trip.EFE
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