France holds talks with Saudi Arabia, UAE on diversifying Europe’s energy supplies

France held talks Sunday with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on diversifying Europe's energy supplies in order to reduce the continent’s dependence on Russia.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a phone call with his Saudi and UAE counterparts Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan stressed the importance of coordination with the two Gulf states with a view to diversifying the oil and gas supplies of European states, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

He underlined the “need for strong international mobilization, in all forums and in all circumstances, in the face of the aggression led by Russia in Ukraine, which represents a serious threat to European security,” the statement said.

Le Drian is also scheduled to visit Qatar next week, during which the topic of energy diversification will be discussed, BFMTV news reported. Doha is among the world's top three exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG).