The President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohamed ben Zayed Al Nahyan, was received with great fanfare at the Élysée on Monday July 18. He is on a three-day visit to France, in order to sign new energy contracts with his French counterpart, in the context of the increase in oil prices.
On his Twitter account, he was delighted to be in France, with his “ami” Emmanuel Macron:
Happy to be in France, a friendly country and strategic ally of the UAE, and to see my friend President Emmanuel Macron. Our countries have a long-standing partnership in many areas. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration for a prosperous future. pic.twitter.com/fHp7cWoYur
— Mohammed bin Zayed (@MohamedBinZayed) July 18, 2022
Relationships for oil…
On this subject, Le Figaro reports that “Franco-Emirati relations have developed considerably in recent years. In December, Abu Dhabi notably signed a record contract worth 14 billion euros for 80 Rafale fighter jets..
In 2019, Emirati exports to France already represented 1.5 billion euros, a record. But France wishing to do without Russian hydrocarbons, it is necessary for it to further intensify oil deliveries with the Emirates. So Emmanuel Macron took things in hand! During the G7, last June, he questioned Joe Biden without discretion to report to him his discussion with the President of the Emirates:
???? “I called the President of the United Arab Emirates and asked him to increase his oil production”
When Emmanuel Macron challenges Joe Biden in front of the cameras, to discuss oil strategy ⤵ pic.twitter.com/vNDiNyXTcj
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 27, 2022
The Emir replied that it was at maximum production capacity, but that the Saudis could increase production by 150 over the next six months.
Finally, neither the indiscreet revelation of this exchange, nor its production limit, will have prevented him from sealing a new strategic partnership with France. After all, financially speaking, the latter will certainly be very advantageous for the Emirates.
… but not only !
It should also be noted that for Emmanuel Macron, the partnership with the UAE should not be limited to the fields of energy alone. It should also include security and defence, the space sector, future technologies, culture and education. While cooperation is relatively easy to conceive of in the first three areas, it seems less obvious with regard to culture and education.
Recall that the UAE has been waging war in Yemen since 2015, as part of a coalition that supports Yemeni government forces against the Houthis, backed by Iran. However, NGOs have denounced the fact that several French military equipment sold in the Emirates “have been used against civilian populations in violation of the rules of national law, international human rights law and international humanitarian law”. In addition, the Emirates are sadly renowned for their violations of fundamental rights: violations of freedom of expression, arbitrary detentions, inhuman and degrading treatment, recurring practice of the death penalty…
So, if it is difficult to know what Emmanuel Macron has in mind, it is easier to guess what motivates the two leaders. As Voltaire said: “When it comes to money, everyone is of the same religion”.
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