in france24.com: President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership on Monday aimed at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections. Macrons state visit is the first by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing what the presidency calls a very close relationship. In 2021, Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet Prince Mohammed in Saudi Arabia after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Riyadhs consulate in Istanbul.
