Macron Begins Saudi Tour with Anticipated Meeting with bin Salman
French President's visit to the Kingdom reflects Paris's keenness to deepen relations with Riyadh amid current regional and international changes
December 2, 2024, 6:45 pm

Macron Begins Saudi Tour with Anticipated Meeting with bin Salman

ماكرون \ تعبيرية \ متداول

French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, which includes discussions with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.

Al Arabiya's correspondent reported that the state visit program includes extensive discussions on political and bilateral relations between the two countries, focusing on economic, cultural, and environmental areas. The French President will inspect the Riyadh train project and then travel to Al-Ula province on Wednesday according to his schedule.

Simultaneously, President Macron is conducting talks centered on political and economic relations between the two countries, in addition to reviewing regional and international developments.

Official visits between the two countries have increased in frequency during recent years, with the French President hosting the Saudi Crown Prince in Paris last year, while the trade volume between the countries reached about 8.8 billion euros.

Bilateral relations have seen notable development in the military field, with naval forces from both countries conducting joint exercises in the Red Sea during the past year.

France holds a large share of cultural projects in the Kingdom, especially in Al-Ula province, which is being developed by French companies specialized in managing heritage and tourism sites.

Riyadh and Paris are moving towards expanding their cooperation in clean energy, with French companies participating in renewable energy projects in the Kingdom, while Saudi Arabia is studying increasing its investments in the French technology sector.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”