Mohammed bin Salman, Le Drian discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations
October 4, 2021, 7:21 am

Mohammed bin Salman, Le Drian discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations

Flags-France-Saudi Arabia

The Arab News reported, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported early Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian late on Sunday in Riyadh and reviewed relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the Minister of State, Cabinet Member and National Security Adviser Musaed bin Muhammad Al-Aiban.

On the French side, the Chargé d'Affairs at the Embassy of France to the Kingdom, Philippe Regis, and a number of officials from the French Foreign Ministry attended.

According to the Arab News, the meeting followed Le Drian's meetings with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the ministers of culture and energy.

It noted, France's top diplomat traveled to Riyadh after attending the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai in the UAE.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.