France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) meets with UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a visit to the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on December 21, 2025. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, January 21, to celebrate Christmas with French troops and to discuss bilateral ties with the Gulf state, as France hopes for more cooperation in its fight against drug trafficking.
Macron is due to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss "strengthening the strategic partnership" between the two countries, according to the French presidency, which stressed their cooperation on security and defense. The French president traditionally celebrates the end-of-year holidays with troops deployed abroad, of whom there are more than 900 in the UAE.
Macron will speak to them later Sunday, before sharing a Christmas meal prepared by the Elysée's chefs. France cooperates with the UAE on areas including artificial intelligence and trade, and now wants to secure the Gulf state's support in its war on drug trafficking. Major traffickers are believed to have found refuge in the UAE, Dubai in particular, and some of them are thought to have built up substantial real estate portfolios there.
