France / Gulf / Diplomacy / Energy

Macron plans four-country Gulf tour focused on energy and Hormuz

The French president is due to visit Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar from 19 to 21 October.

15 OCT 2026 · 1 min read

Archive portrait of Emmanuel Macron at the Sorbonne in May 2025. — Archive · Christophe Licoppe / European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0. Cropped archive portrait: Emmanuel Macron at the Sorbonne, Paris, 5 May 2025; not the planned Gulf tour. · Licence · Cropped for display. Context image, not a photograph of this event.

Emmanuel Macron plans a four-country Gulf tour from 19 to 21 October, with energy supplies and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz on the agenda, a French presidential source told Anadolu on Wednesday. The itinerary covers Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

The diplomatic agenda

According to the source, France wants to strengthen strategic and economic partnerships, including cooperation on defence and security. The Qatar leg is planned as a state visit on 20 and 21 October. The announcement sets out priorities for discussions; it does not establish that the visits have taken place or that partners have accepted new commitments.

What remains unresolved

The report does not announce a concluded energy-supply agreement or a change to navigation conditions. For readers following the region’s security and energy links, the next test is what the meetings produce. The planned talks should be distinguished from a completed agreement, and their intended economic benefits remain objectives rather than demonstrated results.