Macron begins state visit to Qatar as part of wider Gulf tour

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - DOHA — Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron with full state honours as he began his two-day state visit to the Gulf nation on Tuesday.

After the official welcome ceremony, the two leaders met at Lusail Palace to discuss strengthening strategic ties between France and Qatar, including energy security, defence and regional stability, as well as investments and cooperation in multiple fields.

Macron was received at Hamad International Airport by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, after fighter jets escorted his plane on arrival as part of the state visit honours, followed by a state motorcade procession through Doha towards Lusail.

Macron's state visit to Qatar concludes his regional Gulf tour to develop strategic partnerships also with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, where the French leader secured pledges of additional energy supplies from Gulf partners.

The tour has already produced commitments for additional diesel. The French presidency said France had secured pledges for an extra 200,000 tons a month from the UAE and Bahrain, around 100,000 tons from each.

Including supplies from Saudi Arabia, the commitments totalled 295,000 tons a month, equivalent to just over 10 percent of French consumption, the Élysée said.

The Elysee Palace announced the deals on Tuesday, before the president landed in Qatar.

Kuwait has also given “very clear commitments” to deliver diesel and kerosene to the French overseas territories of Mayotte and Reunion in the Indian Ocean, the presidency said. The shipments will go via Oman to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Patrick Pouyanne, the head of French oil giant TotalEnergies, who is travelling with Macron, said the deals would “reassure the French”.

“We are not going to run out of diesel in February,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.

In a speech to the French nation on Sunday after a weekend of violent protests that engulfed France, Macron said he would travel to the Gulf countries to secure France’s energy supplies and to address the grievances over fuel prices and the cost of living, while his government worked with fuel distributors to ensure those efforts translated into lower prices for consumers.

Macron is accompanied by French business leaders including the chief executives of France's largest energy companies, TotalEnergies and Engie. TotalEnergies already has substantial interests in Qatar, including a partnership with QatarEnergy in the North Field East LNG expansion project, one of the world's largest.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said Tuesday’s talks would be followed by a strategic dialogue on Wednesday to discuss "many regional matters of mutual concern,” covering energy, the economy, investment and defence.

Speaking at a briefing in Doha, the ministry’s director of media and communication, Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, described France as a friend and ally and underlined its position during the ongoing regional crisis.

France was among Qatar's main defenders during the Iran war, securing the Gulf country's air defense with fighter jets and other capabilities and is now seeking to develop additional defence ties.

The visit also builds on wider investment ties. During the Emir’s 2024 state visit to France, Qatar pledged €10 billion in investment across sectors including energy transition, artificial intelligence, aerospace, and healthcare.