He who believed in Saudi Arabia and he who did not

French President Emmanuel Macron is in Saudi Arabia for a two-day state visit. This is a major event that seals the excellence of France’s relations with the Kingdom.

The visit is an opportunity for the president and his delegation to witness first-hand the reality of the great changes that have taken place in Saudi society since 2016.

The Vision 2030 modernization plan is a complete success. Macron has also launched a “France 2030” plan and I do not think this is a coincidence.

Fashion designer Elie Saab’s Riyadh fashion show with Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez last month was an extraordinary success and a media thunderclap that threw contemporary Saudi Arabia into the face of the world.

Who would have imagined such an event 10 years ago?

This leap into modernity is undoubtedly the greatest cultural and societal revolution anywhere in the world in decades.

Everyone knows about economic and military cooperation, but now it is cultural cooperation that bears the French label at the magnificent site of AlUla.

The Kingdom’s leap into modernity is undoubtedly the greatest cultural and societal revolution anywhere in the world in decades

Nathalie Goulet

Ambition and quality are necessary to strengthen our relations with the Kingdom, but we also need an understanding of the challenges of this modernization. There are still important aspects of cooperation to be developed, such as intelligence and the fight against terrorism.

You may not be aware that Riyadh is home to a particularly impressive center for combating cyberterrorism, the Etidal Center, which monitors social networks and websites.

At a time when cyberterrorism and hate speech are particularly active and violent, the Etidal Center, notably under contract with the Telegram messenger app, removed 36 million extremist posts in the third quarter of 2024 (129 million since February 2022), along with 323 extremist channels.

The technology of this center, which was opened by President Donald Trump in 2018, is a jewel that the French president might visit.

There is already excellent cooperation between the financial intelligence services in Saudi Arabia and the French Tracfin financial investigation unit, which should be further strengthened.

Saudi Arabia’s modernization has been carried out strategically, intentionally and in accordance with parameters designed to ensure a balance between tradition and modernity.

No one forced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to undertake these reforms and the outcome of Saudi Arabia in 2024 is the fruit of his will and vision alone. His plan was clear and so was its implementation.

Moments of cultural transition are the most fragile and it is essential to support them and understand the context

Nathalie Goulet

Moments of cultural transition are the most fragile and it is essential to support them and understand the context, as well as the Kingdom’s role on a regional and international level.

The issue of piracy in the Red Sea and the danger posed by the Houthis, who are causing major damage to the global economy, should make us humbler in our assessment of regional situations.

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s campaign against the Houthi rebels provoked some very hostile reactions. But at the end of the day, who would want a version of Hezbollah on their borders? Because that is what it was all about.

The world is now discovering this threat with the attacks on commercial traffic that have become a regular occurrence, so much so that the EU has launched a naval mission to protect this traffic.

There is so much to say about the relations between Saudi Arabia and France. Let us be proud to be partners of the Kingdom, let us be efficient, let us be united to give the best of our economic, cultural and military sector without any influence or preconceived ideas, without any preemptive judgments.

The Kingdom, which is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is an essential partner and President Macron’s visit will be a high point in our bilateral relations. And let us recall the title of this article, which is a reference to a very famous poem by Louis Aragon.

As you can see, supporting Saudi Arabia is a winning bet for the future.

• Nathalie Goulet is a French senator for the Orne department in Normandy and the author of “An ABC of Terrorist Financing,” published by Cherche-Midi. X: @senateur61