The Élysée Palace announced in a statement that France and Qatar have established a strategic partnership under which the Gulf state has agreed to allocate ten billion euros (10.85 billion dollars) to fund startups and investment funds in France between 2024 and 2030. The statement added that the investments "that benefit both countries" will target key sectors ranging from energy transition, semiconductors, space, artificial intelligence, digitalization, healthcare, hospitality, to culture. This investment was announced as Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani began a two-day visit to France on Tuesday, marking his first state visit to Paris since taking office in 2013.