France is aiming to bolster its presence as a leading security guarantor and partner in the Gulf, using military cooperation and arms sales as diplomatic tools to advance its regional influence. Most recently, France and Qatar engaged in advanced talks as Paris hoped to upgrade their bilateral ties to a defense partnership, according to a French Defense Ministry source.
The recent talks largely aimed at “strengthening the Franco-Qatari strategic partnership, founded on diplomatic, operation and industrial cooperation,” according to the source who spoke to Reuters last week. However, with France having sold Qatar 36 Rafale multipurpose fighter jets following past agreements in 2015 and 2017, Paris would hope to supply further defense equipment to Doha.
It follows France’s Emmanuel Macron hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris in June, meeting for the second time in less than a year. Notably, Paris has become an important arms supplier to Riyadh, with sales amounting to nearly 780 million euros ($856 million) in 2021, according to data from the French Ministry of Armed Forces. Macron hopes to leverage these defense ties and his government’s fledgling diplomacy with Prince Mohammed to boost bilateral investment relations while solidifying Paris’ defense aspirations regionally.
Amid Paris' diplomatic pursuits, the United Kingdom is also on a mission to strengthen its ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Last week, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly embarked on a three-day tour of the Middle East, making stops in Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, and aiming to solidify relations with these regional allies. Following Brexit, the United Kingdom is eager to boost relations with the GCC countries, emphasizing trade as a key focus in Cleverly’s visit. The Foreign Ministry lauded London’s 18.1 billion pound sterling ($23.2 billion) in bilateral trade with Qatar and Kuwait in 2022.
