French President Emmanuel Macron has secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain during a tour of the Gulf, the French presidency said Tuesday.
He obtained commitments for around 100,000 tonnes per month from the Emirates, while an additional 100,000 tonnes monthly will be secured during a stop in Bahrain later in the day, the Elysee Palace said.
With the addition of deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France has commitments for 295,000 tonnes per month, representing just over 10 percent of its consumption, the presidency added.
Macron is undertaking a tour of key energy suppliers in the Gulf in an effort to secure oil and diesel supplies and bring down prices in France, after a weekend of violent protests sparked by soaring living costs.
He is visiting the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, all of which have been thrown into turmoil since February by the US-Iran war.