Macron touts warship deal with UAE before surprise Saudi visit
France is set to sell a number of warships to the United Arab Emirates, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in Abu Dhabi, during a high-profile Middle East tour that also involved a surprise stop in Saudi Arabia.
Wrapping up his two-day visit to the UAE, Macron said Thursday that the tiny Persian Gulf country would get at least two French-made Gowind navy corvettes under the deal for an undisclosed price.
Developed by French military firm Naval Group, the warships are designed for missions in littoral zones, including coastal surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.
Macron also toured a French naval base in Abu Dhabi , where he hailed the military cooperation between the two nations.
The Camp de la Paix (Peace Camp), which is located at Abu Dhabi's Port Zayed, sits across the waters of the Persian Gulf and is home to some 700 French military personnel.
A symbol of France's deepening military ties with the UAE, the naval base was inaugurated in 2009 by then French head of state Nicolas Sarkozy. The UAE reportedly funds the base’s operation costs of up to $60 million a year.
"France's military capacity is at the heart of my ambitions for our country," the French president said before walking through the French frigate Jean Bart.
French military forces and aircraft are also stationed at the UAE’s al-Dhafra Air Base, which houses some of the 5,000 American troops deployed to the country.
International rights group such as Human Rights Watch have censured Western nations’ rush for profiting from arms sales to the UAE and other Arab countries that are key contributors to a Saudi-led war against the people of Yemen.
Macron heads to Riyadh
The French president announced later on Thursday that he was headed to Saudi Arabia to discuss the Yemen war with the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud.
"I believe it's important that we work with Saudi Arabia for the purpose of guaranteeing stability in the region and the fight against terrorism," Macron said, referring to the ongoing military aggression that has killed over 12,000 Yemeni people and destroyed much of the poverty-stricken country’s infrastructure since it began in March 2015.
According to the Control Arms Coalition, France, the world’s fourth weapons exporter, authorized arms licenses worth $18 billion to Saudi Arabia in 2015 -- the year Riyadh launched its military campaign against Yemen -- followed by the United States at $5.9 billion and Britain’s $4 billion.
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