French President Emmanuel Macron begins a brief visit to Dubai today with a Gulf tour aimed at boosting his country's ties with the region; bigger one that will involve dozens of Rafale fighters.
The strongman of the Emirates, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will welcome the French head of state at the Dubai World's Fair, which will last until the end of March.
After their meeting this morning, they are expected to be present at the signing ceremony of various agreements of an economic nature and contracts for the supply of weapons.
"I do not want to spoil the surprise of Mr. Macron's Christmas present," Anwar Gargas, the prince's adviser, told reporters earlier this week. Elise and the companies that will supply the equipment also share his discretion.
The most anticipated deal is the supply of several dozen Rafale fighter jets to the UAE to replace the fleet of 60 obsolete Mirage 2000s they had purchased in the late 1990s.
The UAE is the fifth largest customer of the French military industry, based on data for the period 2011-2020, with orders of 4,7 billion euros. The figures come from a report by a committee of the French parliament responsible for the country's arms exports.
In recent years, France has been widely criticized for selling weapons it sold to Gulf monarchies in the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and other allied countries have reportedly committed war crimes, according to the non-governmental organization International. Amnesty.
By buying Rafal, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the Emirates will synchronize their pace with Qatar, which bought 36, as well as Egypt (acquired 24 in 2015, another 30 in 2021).
Mr Macron is accompanied by a multi-member delegation: he is accompanied by his top ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian (Foreign Affairs), Bruno Lemerre (Economy) and Florence Parley (Defense) as well as heads of large French industrial groups Tide, Airb, Airb, Airb, Airb …).
The flow of investment between the two countries is large and the strong state fund of the UAE, Mubadala, has announced that it intends to increase its investments - which already amount to 4 billion euros - in French companies.
The French president arrives the day after the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Emirates, on December 2, 1971. He will visit pavilions in France and the UAE at Expo 2020, the first world exhibition in the Middle East, which opened its doors in October. , with a one year delay due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Macron will continue his tour in Qatar and then in Saudi Arabia. It is expected to discuss "the fight against terrorism, radical Islam and their financing" and seek "co-operation with these states, especially against Daesh" (aka the acronym for Islamic State in Arabic), which the Elize considers "absolutely necessary for guarantees for the safety of the French and Europeans."
On regional issues - the crises in Lebanon and Libya, Iran's nuclear program, the situation in Iraq - the head of state wants France to play the role of a "balancing force" and a "credible partner" all places ".
It is expected to call for help from Lebanon, as the country's deep economic crisis has been exacerbated by sanctions imposed by several Gulf states, notably Saudi Arabia, which has suspended imports from Beirut.
In Jeddah, Macron will become one of the first Western leaders to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Kasogi at his hometown in Istanbul.
"As he always does on his travels," the French president "raises the issue of human rights with his interlocutors when necessary," the French presidency said in response to NGO criticism of the appointment.
The meeting is not intended to put Mohammed bin Salman back in the saddle, but it is impossible for the Elysee to pursue an "ambitious policy" in the Middle East without a "dialogue" with Saudi Arabia, a G20 member and the region's largest economy.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ-AFP-Reuters