France secures more diesel from Gulf states

France secured major diesel supplies from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain to curb energy prices while also signing advanced technology agreements during President Emmanuel Macron's Gulf tour.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain agreed to sell the equivalent of 10% of France's diesel consumption in the coming weeks, according to Elysee sources cited by the UAE-based National News.

French President Emmanuel Macron secured a large part of the deal during a Gulf tour that started Monday in Kuwait and the UAE.

Macron is scheduled to continue his diplomatic visits to Bahrain and Qatar.

An Elysee adviser stated that increasing the quantity supplied aims to lower energy prices in Europe following public protests in France.

France previously obtained guarantees from Saudi Arabia to purchase 95,000 tonnes of diesel in each of October and November, for a total of 190,000 tonnes.

The UAE and Bahrain are expected to separately sell 100,000 tonnes of diesel to France over an unspecified period in the coming weeks.

The adviser attributed these political commitments to France's regional reliability and previous deployment of air defense capabilities.

French energy giant TotalEnergies will handle the sales, while its chief executive officer, Patrick Pouyanne, accompanies Macron on the trip.

The UAE and France also signed preliminary agreements in energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology to strengthen economic ties.

Officials signed the new pacts in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed and Macron.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office reported three agreements with French startup AMI Labs to explore new applications and strengthen technological cooperation.

The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence will focus on research with AMI Labs, while computing company G42 aims to establish a framework for cloud infrastructure.

Analog plans to integrate AI models into robotics and physical applications for industrial sectors.

Adnoc Gas and Schneider Electric signed an initial pact to assess advanced technologies and enhance the operational efficiency of energy systems.

ADNOC Refining and Technip Energies signed two contracts regarding a refining capacity enhancement project and a sustainable aviation fuel initiative.