Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman showed himself to be no pariah Friday at the G20 summit, with a beaming Vladimir Putin welcoming him but European leaders warning him over the killing of a dissident journalist.

France said on Thursday it had imposed sanctions, including travel bans, on 18 Saudi citizens linked to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said more could follow depending on results of an investigation.

France will decide very soon to impose sanctions on individuals linked to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday.

Turkey has given recordings related to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi to Germany, France and Britain, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, seeking to maintain international pressure on Riyadh over the Saudi journalist’s death.

France expressed its concern over the sentence issued against Sheikh Ali Salman, secretary-general of the Al-Wefaq Society, the main Bahraini opposition force.

The European Union, France, Germany and Britain said in a joint statement on Friday that they regret Washington's decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

Germany, which has pledged to suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said it expects the European Union to adopt a common position on potential limits to weapons sales.

French President Emmanuel Macron refused to take questions about halting arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite Germany’s calls.

France declined to say on Monday if it might suspend weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, after Germany called on others to follow its example until the truth about Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder is established.

Senior ministers from Britain, France and the Netherlands on Thursday pulled out of a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia, expressing deep concern over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

France's foreign ministry said on Thursday a so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that the European Union is considering creating to enable trade with Iran could be used more broadly to help the bloc avoid the extraterritorial reach of U.S. law.

Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that he is very concerned about reports concerning health deterioration of political prisoners in Bahrain, including Hasan Mushaima.

Bahrain Mirror (Reuters): France sought to assuage Bahrain on Friday after rare criticism by its ambassador to the kingdom over human rights and an honorary citizenship by Paris of a rights campaigner sparked anger in Manama, three sources said.

A celebration was held yesterday (June 18, 2018) in Paris on the occasion of granting the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab honorary citizenship of the city.

French special forces are present on the ground in Yemen with forces from the United Arab Emirates, French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Saturday, citing two military sources.

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday that he remained committed to the nuclear deal with world powers, but that Tehran needed to fully comply with its commitments.

France's ambassador to Bahrain said France is closely following the situation of Mr. Nabil Rajab.

The council of Paris voted on granting prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab honorary citizen title for Paris and called for his release.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry denied French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that the kingdom held Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri captive last November.

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated publicly that Saudi Arabia had held Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri for several weeks.