French President Emmanuel Macron today met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah and held face-to-face talks. He became the first major western leader to visit the kingdom since the murder of murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

As part of a short Gulf regional tour, Macron reached the kingdom's Red Sea city after visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to the Middle East Eye.

France is known as one of Saudi Arabia's main arms suppliers, but it has been facing increasing pressure to review its sales because of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Speaking to reporters in Dubai on Friday, Macron rejected accusations that he was legitimising the crown prince, adding that the region's multiple crises could not be dealt with by ignoring the kingdom, according to reports.

"We [can] decide after the Khashoggi affair that we have no policy in the region, which is a choice some can defend, but I think France has an important role to play in the region," said Macron.

"That doesn't mean we are complicit or that we forget."

Meanwhile, Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of the rights group Amnesty International, said: "Whether it's the objective or not, [Macron's trip] contributes to a policy of rehabilitating the Saudi prince.

"It pains me that France, the country of human rights, is the instrument of this policy."