Paris and Riyadh have advanced their negotiations on the delivery of French Rafale fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
“From the point of view of security and defense, we have significantly improved the situation thanks to the intention to move forward [on the issue of] Rafale fighter jets, which is a serious change in bilateral relations,” Macron told journalists on Tuesday during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
In August, information appeared on the X social network that the UAE had completely frozen the $10 billion contract to buy 80 Rafale fighter jets from France after Telegram messenger founder Pavel Durov was arrested in the country.
French aerospace company Dassault Aviation signed a contract in 2021 to supply the UAE with 80 Rafale fighter jets, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027.
