Saudi Crown Prince holds talks with French foreign minister in Riyadh

The meeting focused on ways to enhance bilateral relations in all fields and the latest regional and international developments

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a meeting with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who is on an official visit to the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting focused on ways to enhance bilateral relations in all fields, in addition to the latest regional and international developments.

Saudi and French senior officials also attended the meeting.

Ms Colonna arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday on an official visit to the kingdom. She is scheduled to visit Abu Dhabi on Friday, according to the French Foreign Ministry.

Prince Mohammed travelled to France and Greece last July as part of his first European tour since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Colonna’s visit to the Gulf comes after French naval forces last month seized a shipment of thousands of assault rifles, machineguns and anti-tank missiles from Iran destined for Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

While Iran did not immediately acknowledge the seizure in the Gulf of Oman, images released by US Central Command showed the weapons to be similar to others captured by American forces in shipments linked to Tehran.

Updated: February 02, 2023, 8:18 AM