Starmer to visit Gulf states to deepen trade ties

Sir Keir Starmer will aim to strengthen trade ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during his first trip to the Persian Gulf as Prime Minister.

The prime minister will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday after flying to the Gulf on Sunday evening.

Sir Keir said his visit would help the UK build a network of partners focused on high-quality growth.

Executions

Sir Keir is already facing calls from human rights groups for Saudi leaders to increase the number of executions.

He said: To drive long-term growth at home, we must strengthen partnerships abroad.

That's why I'm heading to the Gulf this week, to build a network of partners for the UK that focuses on driving high-quality growth, boosting opportunity and engaging people. of the country.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are major investors in the UK: trade with the Emirates is worth 23 billion, while trade with Saudi Arabia is worth 17 billion.

Saudi Arabia is also the UK's largest defense export market, worth 3.8 billion a year to UK industry.

'Untapped'

The Prime Minister added: There is enormous untapped potential in this region, which is why, during my stay here, I will advocate for accelerated progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council free trade agreement , to deepen our collaboration in research and development and to collaborate on future projects, whether Artificial Intelligence or defense and security programs.

In doing so, hard-working Britons will reap rewards for generations to come.

Human rights legal group Reprieve called on the prime minister to raise with Saudi leaders what it described as an enforcement crisis.

Saudi Arabia would have executed 300 people in 2024, the highest toll ever recorded in a year.

'Scathing'

Reprieve deputy executive director Dan Dolan said: When Boris Johnson visited Mohammed bin Salman in 2022, three days after the mass execution of 81 people, Sir Keir Starmer was rightly scathing towards Johnson's unconditional embrace of one of the world's most prolific tormentors of protesters.

Now that he is prime minister, he has the opportunity to tackle Saudi Arabia's growing execution crisis.

Mr Dolan urged the prime minister to raise the cases of two accused children with the Saudi crown prince as it could save their lives.

Following his visit to the Gulf, Sir Keir is expected to travel to Cyprus on Monday evening.

In the capital Nicosia, he will meet President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday before meeting British troops deployed over Christmas.

This bilateral visit is the first by a British Prime Minister to this Commonwealth country in more than 50 years.

Sir John Major visited the Mediterranean island for the 1993 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, but this was not part of a bilateral visit.

The last such visit to Cyprus by a Prime Minister was made by Edward Heath in 1971.

Sir Keir and Mr Christodoulides are expected to discuss cooperation on security challenges including Russian illicit financing and serious organized crime.

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