Paris – Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister dined with French President Emmanuel Macron at Paris's Louvre museum after arriving on a three-day visit to Paris.
The dinner sets the tone for the official part of the visit starting Monday, which follows a weeks long tour of the United States, Britain, and Egypt where he courted a host of multimillion-dollar deals.
Around 18 memorandums of understanding in energy, agriculture, tourism and culture are set to be signed at an official Saudi-France CEO Forum on Tuesday, a source close to the crown prince's delegation told AFP.
A Franco-Saudi deal to develop Al Ula, a Saudi city richly endowed with archeological remnants, is also set to be a central highlight of the visit, the source added.
The agreement calls for the creation of a dedicated agency modelled on the lines of the French museums' agency, which spearheaded the setting up of the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi.
The prince has used his global tour to project his reforms, including the historic lifting of a ban on women driving, cinemas and mixed-gender concerts as part of his pledge to return the kingdom to moderate Islam.
Saudi officials project strong relations between Prince Mohammed and Macron, both young leaders undertaking challenging reforms to transform their countries.