French President Emmanuel Macron

Despite the killing of Khashoggi, and given the energy crisis in France and all that the West is facing, President Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of increased Western efforts to court the major oil-producing state amid increasing energy prices and stalled talks to restart a nuclear deal with Iran.

Macron's decision to invite a man Western leaders believe ordered the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 to dinner at the Elysee Palace has been criticized by both French opposition figures and human rights groups.

Macron will reportedly discuss human rights issues, including individual cases, as well as oil production and the Iran nuclear deal, as per a French presidency official.

“Ball in Iran's court to save nuclear deal”

Ahead of talks between Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), a French presidency official said that “there is still time to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but the ball remains in Tehran's court."

The de facto Saudi ruler's visit to Paris comes two weeks after he met with US President Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia.

It seems that the oil-thirsty West is eager to reestablish relations with the Gulf Arab oil giant, despite Saudi Arabia's longstanding human rights abuses.

"The rehabilitation of the murderous prince will be justified in France as in the United States by arguments of realpolitik. But it's actually bargaining that predominates, let's face it," Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard tweeted ahead of MBS's visit to France.

Following the war in Ukraine, which resulted in Moscow cutting off gas supplies to Europe, France, and other European countries are looking to diversify their energy sources. Macron wants Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, to increase output.

The controversial visit

France is one of Riyadh's main arms suppliers, but it has come under increasing pressure to reconsider its sales due to the world's worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been leading brutal aggression since 2015.

Macron, who became the first Western leader to visit Saudi Arabia since the Khashoggi affair last December, has dismissed criticism of his efforts to engage with the crown prince, claiming that the kingdom is too important to ignore.

It is also worth noting that French prosecutors are investigating complaints filed against MBS regarding Saudi involvement in the war on Yemen.

Furthermore, Rights groups Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), and TRIAL International announced on Thursday that they had filed a new complaint asking French authorities to open an investigation into MBS over Khashoggi's torture and murder.

Human rights issues?

During a working dinner on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss human rights issues and "individual cases" with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a senior aide.

"The president will raise the issue of human rights as he does on each occasion with Mohammed bin Salman," the aide stressed on condition of anonymity.

"He will talk about it in a general way, but will also take the chance to raise individual cases," he noted.

When asked about the dinner's criticism only four years after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he reiterated France's long-standing demand that those responsible be "brought to justice."

All for oil

However, the official justified the dinner as necessary, citing record energy prices linked to the war in Ukraine, a developing Middle Eastern food crisis, and concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

"If we want to confront and deal with the consequences of these crises on one hand and have an influence in the region for the benefit of all, the only way is to talk to the main actors," the aide concluded.

Amid the energy crisis, France’s position regarding MBS has clearly changed and the human rights problem it had faced with Riyadh turned into a distant memory as it sought to solve its energy problem through talks with Saudi Arabia.