Emmanuel Macron lands in Saudi Arabia for a surprise visit during his Gulf tour

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday October 21 for an unannounced visit, the final stage of a tour in the Gulf that was highly criticized in France after the weekend's violence, noted an AFP journalist. The presidential plane landed at Riyadh airport, noted an AFP journalist, the final stage of a tour of the Gulf which was highly criticized in France after the violence of the weekend on the sidelines of demonstrations against the “high cost of living”.

The president insists that he is “in his role”

Before this visit, which remained secret until the last moment for security reasons, Emmanuel Macron visited Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar since Monday. Faced with criticism in France for maintaining this tour, Emmanuel Macron insists that he is “in his role” with this trip which aimed to secure supplies of diesel and gas in the Gulf in order to “lower tension” on prices at the pump, one of the causes of social anger in France.

“There must be no excitement (..) The hand must not tremble at the top of the State,” he insisted from Doha as a new day of mobilization is announced on Saturday in France. During his trip, he secured the delivery of 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month to the Emirates and Bahrain. The Élysée also announced a similar gesture from Arabia to the tune of 95,000 tonnes per month for October and November. A total equivalent to more than 10% of the country's monthly consumption.

A meeting with Mohammed bin Salman

Emmanuel Macron's visit also constitutes a strong signal of support for his Saudi ally: he is the first foreign head of state to visit the capital since the suspension of flights at Riyadh airport on October 10, following a deadly attack. He must meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “in order to mark France’s solidarity with the kingdom in the face of attacks carried out by the Houthis against its territory”, according to the Élysée.

The pro-Iranian Houthis have increased strikes against Saudi airports and energy infrastructure in recent weeks. Only Syrian President Ahmed al-Chareh has come since the beginning of October, as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaïdi. And several international meetings have been canceled due to the extreme security tension there.

On Tuesday, Saudi forces again announced the interception of a ballistic missile targeting Riyadh and a drone, after an alert to the population. This intensification of the conflict comes after the resumption in July of the war in Yemen, which since 2014 has pitted the Houthis against government forces, supported by a coalition led by Riyadh.

Reduce pressure on oil markets

Faced with these attacks, Emmanuel Macron announced in September the deployment of French “soldiers, radars and defense systems” to “protect” the Yanbu site, a strategic link in Saudi Arabia’s network of energy installations. He justified this decision by the same need to reduce pressure on the oil markets, presenting it as a purely defensive operation and denying any desire to “engage in the conflict” with the Houthis in Yemen.

“We stand alongside the security and defense of Saudi Arabia,” the French president insisted on Wednesday. “For eight days now, we have had personnel there, capacities that have been deployed.” On Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a new attack on Aramco facilities in Yanbu, without Saudi confirmation.

In September, pro-Iranian fighters also advanced on the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea, strengthening their presence near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, linking Europe to Asia. For Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter, the Red Sea has become an essential export route since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.