diff --git a/pymysqlreplication/binlogstream.py b/pymysqlreplication/binlogstream.py
index 6009f1a9..98876b39 100644
--- a/pymysqlreplication/binlogstream.py
+++ b/pymysqlreplication/binlogstream.py
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ def __set_mariadb_settings(self):
         # https://mariadb.com/kb/en/5-slave-registration/
         cur = self._stream_connection.cursor()
         if self.auto_position is not None:
-            cur.execute("SET @slave_connect_state='%s'" % self.auto_position)
+            cur.execute(f'SET @slave_connect_state="{self.auto_position}"')
         cur.execute("SET @slave_gtid_strict_mode=1")
         cur.execute("SET @slave_gtid_ignore_duplicates=0")
         cur.close()