Relationship dossier
France
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Strategic and economic cooperation coexists with disputes over Yemen and human rights
France toward Saudi Arabia
+25The French government has pursued defense and strategic cooperation with Saudi Arabia and maintained high-level engagement. It has also criticized Saudi conduct and faced domestic and international scrutiny over arms exports amid the Yemen war and the Khashoggi murder.
Saudi Arabia toward France
+25The Saudi government has pursued strategic, defense and investment cooperation with France and engaged with French officials at a high level. The scope and implementation of specific investment commitments are unclear.
Overall relationship
+20The bilateral relationship has durable strategic and economic dimensions, including defense cooperation, investment and sustained high-level engagement. These ties are tempered by French criticism and scrutiny of Saudi policies and conduct, especially concerning Yemen and human rights. The combination supports a cooperative but politically contested overall relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
France and Saudi Arabia maintain a substantial strategic and economic relationship, including defense cooperation, investment ties and high-level government engagement. French arms sales and other cooperation coexist with French criticism and scrutiny concerning Saudi conduct, including the war in Yemen and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The relationship is therefore marked by practical cooperation alongside significant political and human-rights tensions.
Areas of tension
- French arms exports to Saudi Arabia amid the war in Yemen
- French criticism of Saudi human-rights practices and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Key developments
France and Saudi Arabia established a Strategic Partnership Council to deepen bilateral cooperation.
French arms sales to Saudi Arabia became a focus of political scrutiny amid the Yemen war.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of bilateral investment commitments are unclear.
- The extent and terms of current defense cooperation are uncertain.