French President Emmanuel Macron visited Riyadh on Wednesday for a surprise “solidarity” visit, making him the first Western leader to touch down in the kingdom since Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis intensified their attacks this month.
The unannounced trip sent a strong signal to his oil-rich Saudi ally as Riyadh comes under near-daily attack.
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It was part of a Gulf tour to secure oil and diesel and bring down prices in France, following a weekend of violent protests over soaring living costs.
Faced with criticism of his Gulf tour in France, Macron told reporters he was just “doing his job” in a bid to “ease tensions” over gas prices, one of the causes of social unrest in France.
“There must be no sign of febrility,” he said. “I am fulfilling my role. I am at my post.”
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Macron met de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Élysée Palace said. An AFP journalist on the scene said the French president spent less than three hours on the ground.
The pair agreed that Saudi Arabia would supply additional diesel to France “for as many months as necessary”, and to consult on expanded security cooperation and infrastructure projects to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, the palace added.
Earlier the presidency said the visit would “demonstrate France’s solidarity with the kingdom in the face of the attacks carried out by the Houthis against its territory”.
In recent weeks, Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have reached an unprecedented scale, forcing Riyadh to shut its main airport and postpone a major investment conference.
A Houthi maritime blockade is also threatening oil exports from the kingdom.
Macron’s visit comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to rally Western support in the face of Houthi attacks.
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‘Personnel deployed’
Earlier on Wednesday, Macron said France had sent troops to help shield the key Saudi oil terminal of Yanbu on the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, while insisting it was important that “discussions resume” with the group.
“For the past eight days, we’ve had personnel and capabilities deployed (in Yanbu); we’re working with Saudi Arabia in this direction, and so we have a defensive role to play,” he told reporters in the Qatari capital.
The world’s biggest crude exporter had been relying on Yanbu to export its oil, after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war.
Last month, Macron said in a televised interview that France would send “military means” to help shield the Yanbu terminal from Houthi attacks.
On Tuesday, the UK government announced it would deploy British fighter jets to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against increasing attacks.
As part of his tour, Macron secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as two terawatt-hours per month of LNG from Qatar.
In July, a truce in Yemen dating back to 2022 fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in the capital Sanaa in defiance of Riyadh’s control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.
Later, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before launching a major offensive in September in which they seized government-held territory along the Red Sea coast.
In response, the Saudi air force has frequently targeted the group in support of pro-government forces.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)