France and Saudi Arabia Agree on $7 Billion Theme Park Project Near Paris

France and Saudi Arabia have announced plans to build a €6 billion ($7 billion) entertainment park near Paris, following talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Elysee Palace. The agreement is part of a series of contracts signed on Monday aimed at boosting economic and defense ties between the two countries.

Macron's office said the theme park project would include three amusement parks, including one themed around manga, located near Cergy-Pontoise, about 30 kilometers northwest of central Paris. The project is expected to create around 22,000 jobs and is led by Qiddiya, an investment arm of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

President Macron called the project "exceptional" and said it would create a "new global destination" on the scale of Disneyland Paris. He thanked Qiddiya and Saudi Arabia for "trusting" French talent, emphasizing that the investment was a win for the "Choose France" campaign aimed at attracting foreign capital to create jobs. "We are not done surprising the world. Very proud of this achievement," he added.

The project stems from discussions between Macron and MBS in December 2024 in Riyadh, where they discovered a "shared passion" for manga, "especially Dragon Ball Z," a French presidential adviser said.

Other agreements signed during a ceremony attended by Macron and MBS covered energy, artificial intelligence, aviation finance, transportation, and health. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Paris, said there was also a "memorandum to increase defense cooperation - exchanging expertise on cybersecurity, AI training, and military training."

"The Saudi defense market is an important market for French defense manufacturers, as Saudi Arabia seeks new strategic partners. The French government wants to ensure it retains a role in cooperating with Saudi Arabia on defense," Smith said.

The French presidency said two other contracts were signed with French companies during the Saudi Crown Prince's visit: one with maritime logistics firm CMA CGM worth $434 million to support the development of the Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea, and a $580 million contract with railway group Alstom to supply metro cars for the Riyadh metro system.

The visit is MBS's third official trip to France, as Saudi Arabia pursues security relations beyond its traditional partners. It is also the Crown Prince's first foreign trip since signing the tripartite Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement with Turkey and Pakistan earlier this month.

Beyond the economic and defense agenda, Macron and MBS also issued a joint statement on several regional flashpoints. They called for an end to the conflict between the United States and Iran through negotiations, demanded the restoration of normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, welcomed the US-mediated agreement on the disarmament of Hamas, and pushed for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza. They affirmed support for a Palestinian state and called on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory, condemned Houthi attacks in Yemen targeting Saudi Arabia and commercial ships. The two leaders also expressed support for Syria's stability and recovery.