Dubai: Emmanuel Macron defends his choice to deal with gulf authoritarian regimes

The French president of the success of the record of 80 burst in the United Arab Emirates, responded to human rights organizations who criticize his tour in the Arabian Peninsula, including his planned match Saturday with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman.

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The frame, that of Dubai’s universal exhibition, with greater pavilions than others, lends itself to staging. The signature of the Record contract on the sale of 80 bursts in the United Arab Emirates (water) was held in a relative discretion, Friday, December 3rd in the morning. The French president had just landed in the economic capital of the Emirates, the first stage of an express visit of two days in the Gulf.

Some photos taken on the fly in a vast palace of marble, no common press conference between Emmanuel Macron and the Prince heir Mohammed Ben Zayed: the two men and their delegation have just lunch together in a nearby restaurant, to celebrate This moment both expected and controversial.

The contract, accompanied by the sale of twelve helicopters Caracal Airbus and various economic partnership agreements, certainly puts an end to years of negotiations between three French presidents – Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande then Emmanuel Macron – and their Emiratis counterparts. But with this signature, Dassault Aviation also succeeds the tour de force to export more devices in its six customer countries that it sells, at this stage, to the French armies. In part, in part, from the perspective of the French officials, from the reverse suffered in mid-September, when Australia has renounced the purchase of twelve French conventional submarines, in favor of American nuclear power buildings, after The announcement of the defense pact between Canberra, London and Washington, negotiated in the back of Paris.

France, “a solid partner”

“It is the biggest military contract with a French component of our history,” welcomed Mr. Macron, crossing the press a little later, without his host of the day. With this export success, the head of state then visited, smile on the lips, the French flag of the universal exhibition. The latter seeks precisely to highlight French technology.

Only shadow on the board, which may explain the sobriety of this ad: the criticism of human rights organizations on this visit. “Which is good for the French and the French, I defend him ardently,” Argue Emmanuel Macron, right in his boots, to justify the signing of such contracts with authoritarian regimes. For the Head of State, it is a proof of the narrowness of the bonds woven between Paris and Abu Dhabi, in particular during its mandate.

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/Media reports.