France, Saudi Arabia agree on $7bn theme park project near Paris

Video Duration 01 minutes 10 seconds 01: 10.

Key points

• The project is projected to create roughly 22, 000 jobs and will be led by Qiddiya, an investment arm of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
• The agreement was among a raft of deals signed on Monday as Macron and Prince Mohammed.
• As Saudi Arabia looks for new strategic partners, he remarked, the Saudi Arabian defence market is a significant market for French defence manufacturers.
• The visit marks MBS's third official trip to France and comes as Saudi Arabia pursues security ties beyond its traditional partnerships.
• They additionally welcomed the US-brokered agreement on Hamas's disarmament while pressing for a sustainable ceasefire in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

Saudi Arabia and France boost cooperation: agreements reached on theme parks, AI and defence. By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters. Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026.

After negotiations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Elysee Palace, france and Saudi Arabia have confirmed aims for a six-billion-euro ($7bn) amusement park near Paris.

For context, the agreement was among a raft of deals signed on Monday as Macron and Prince Mohammed. This person is additionally known as MBS, seek to boost economic and defence ties between their two countries.

Macron's office remarked the amusement park project will see the construction of three theme parks, one of which is anticipated to be manga-themed, near Cergy-Pontoise, regarding 30km northwest of Paris. The project is projected to create roughly 22, 000 jobs and will be led by Qiddiya, an investment arm of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Macron called the project "extraordinary" and remarked it would create a "new global destination" on the scale of Disneyland Paris. He thanked Qiddiya and Saudi Arabia for their "trust" in French talent, framing the investment as a win for his "Choose France" drive to attract job-creating foreign capital."We're not done surprising the world. Particularly proud of this achievement, " he went on.

For context, the project stemmed from a discussion between Macron and MBS in December 2024 in Riyadh, where they discovered their "shared passion" for manga, "and in particular Dragon Ball Z", an adviser to the French president remarked to journalists. The other agreements, signed in a ceremony attended by Macron and MBS, span energy, artificial intelligence, aviation financing, transport and health. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Paris, remarked there was additionally "a letter of intent signed, reinforcing cooperation on defence – an exchange of expertise on cybersecurity, AI training and military training".

As Saudi Arabia looks for new strategic partners, he remarked, the Saudi Arabian defence market is a significant market for French defence manufacturers. The French government wants to make sure it still has a hand in, is still working with Saudi Arabia on the country's defence.

For context, the French presidency remarked two other contracts were signed with French businesses during the Saudi crown prince's visit: one for the marine logistics firm CMA CGM to assist develop Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea, for $434m; and the other with rail transport group Alstom to supply metro carriages for Riyadh's metro, for $580m.

Notably, the visit marks MBS's third official trip to France and comes as Saudi Arabia pursues security ties beyond its traditional partnerships. It was additionally the Saudi crown prince's first trip abroad since signing the trilateral Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan earlier this month.

Beyond the economic and defence agenda, Macron and MBS additionally issued a joint statement addressing a number of regional flashpoints.

Notably, the two sides pressed a negotiated end to the conflict between the United States and Iran and demanded a return to normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. They additionally welcomed the US-brokered agreement on Hamas's disarmament while pressing for a sustainable ceasefire in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. They affirmed backing for Palestinian statehood and called on Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory.They went on to condemn attacks by Yemen's Houthis on Saudi Arabia as well as on commercial shipping. The two men additionally voiced backing for Syria's stability and recovery.

Taken together, the developments around france, Saudi Arabia agree on $7bn theme park project near Paris point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.