French defence minister embarks on Gulf tour amid regional tensions

France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu has begun a four-day diplomatic mission to the Gulf region, with discussions set to focus on the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, the Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday.

The minister’s first stop is Qatar, where he will meet Defence Minister Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sunday. The visit follows Qatar’s recent suspension of its mediating role between Israel and Hamas, whose political office is based in Doha.

Qatar, alongside American and Egyptian partners, has been central to negotiation efforts in the Gaza conflict, which began after Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel. Both Israeli and Palestinian sides have accused each other of hindering ceasefire negotiations.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari stated that mediation efforts would resume once “the necessary seriousness to end the brutal war” is demonstrated.

The French defence ministry emphasised that the visit reflects the shared Franco-Qatari commitment to regional stability and enhanced bilateral defence cooperation.

Following Qatar, Lecornu will travel to Saudi Arabia to meet Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, laying groundwork for President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to the kingdom in early December.

Macron’s forthcoming visit, confirmed on Friday, aims to strengthen Franco-Saudi partnerships across defence and economic sectors.

The minister’s final destination is the UAE, where he will meet with Defence Minister Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei on Tuesday. His itinerary includes visiting French troops at the 5th Cavalry Regiment base in the Emirati desert.

The regiment conducts joint operations with regional partners and supports training for French units in desert and urban warfare. Lecornu is scheduled to conclude his tour on Wednesday.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​