French President Emmanuel Macron received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Elysee Palace on Thursday and gave him a dinner during their talks, in a further step towards the international rehabilitation of the Arab ruler. The fact received harsh criticism in France due to suspicions towards the prince for his alleged complicity in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Since the invasion of Ukraine began, France and other European countries have been seeking fuel sources to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas. In addition, France is one of the main arms and defense suppliers to the Persian Gulf nations. France is the second stop, after Greece, in the prince’s first official visit to the European Union since Khashoggi’s death.
Hours before the meeting, a legal claim was filed against the prince in a Paris court for his alleged complicity in the crime.
The Washington-based group Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) called on French authorities to launch a criminal investigation of the prince. The group said it filed a 42-page lawsuit alleging the prince was complicit in Khashoggi’s torture and disappearance, committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
