PARIS: The development of AlUla is at the center of deepening Saudi-French cooperation in heritage, archaeology, culture, tourism and sustainable development, according to Jean-Yves Le Drian, executive chairman of the French Agency for the Development of AlUla (Afalula).
Le Drian, who also serves as personal envoy of the French president for Lebanon and is a former minister, described the relationship between Riyadh and Paris as exceptionally strong, with AlUla representing a particularly distinctive area of cooperation.
“There is a very strong partnership between Saudi Arabia and France,” Le Drian said, in an interview with Arab News en Francais, highlighting the longstanding support between the two countries.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) welcomes Saudi Arabia's crown prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) at Paris - Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, on April 8, 2018. (Saudi Royal Palace handout photo / AFP/file)
He pointed to France’s support for Saudi Arabia, as well as continued cooperation on security and other strategic matters.
