Emmanuel Macron welcomed the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed ben Zayed al-Nahyan, with great fanfare on Monday.

The two leaders were to meet over lunch before meeting in the evening for a state dinner in the majestic setting of the Grand Trianon at Versailles in the presence of a hundred guests.

The visit should be marked by "the announcement of Emirati guarantees concerning the quantities of hydrocarbons (diesel only) supplied to France", which "is seeking to diversify its sources of supply in the context of the conflict in Ukraine", according to the 'Elysium.

Dominated by hydrocarbons, Emirati exports to France reached an all-time high of 1.5 billion euros in 2019, a large part of which was refined petroleum products, but the Emirates do not currently supply diesel to the country.

Signatures of a strategic agreement on the energies of the future (hydrogen, renewable energies), contracts in transport and waste treatment are also planned before the departure of MBZ on Tuesday.

Legion of Honor and gift

The discussions between the two presidents were also to focus on their "joint efforts" to strengthen "stability and security" in the Middle East, in particular on the Iranian nuclear issue, according to the Elysée.

As tradition dictates, Emmanuel Macron will present MBZ with the insignia of the Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honor, and will offer him as a gift a 1535 edition of German geographer Lorenz Fries' map of the Arabian Peninsula. and the Gulf.

This meeting "highlights the historical ties between the two countries but also the potential for further cooperation" between them, said MBZ's diplomatic adviser, Anwar Gargash.

Human rights associations at the front

But for some the fuel was not the priority of this meeting.

Human rights organizations have called on the French president to discuss human rights with the president of the United Arab Emirates instead.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the League for Human Rights (LDH) and the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GChr) “urge you to express (…) your concern about serious ongoing human rights violations" in the Emirates and "demand their cessation", one can read in their open letter to the French head of state.

FIDH, LDH and GChr refer in particular to the case of opponent and human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, sentenced to ten years in prison in 2018 for having, according to the authorities, criticized the Emirati government and tarnished the image of his country on social networks.

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