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 on 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 the stop in Bahrain, 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 and bring down prices in France, after a weekend of violent protests over soaring living costs.

The French president arrived in Manama on Tuesday and was greeted by crowds of schoolchildren waving Bahraini and French flags.

The trip also included stops in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, all of which have been thrown into turmoil by the US-Iran war since February.

Presidential advisers expressed satisfaction with the quantity of diesel secured, while Patrick Pouyanne, head of French oil giant TotalEnergies who is on the trip, said the deals would "reassure the French".

"We are not going to run out of diesel in February," he added.

France has also released 10 million barrels of diesel from its reserves, with the aim of cutting prices by 12 to 18 cents, or around five to eight percent, from next month. (AFP)


Edited by Aaron Tam