Extremism, terror take center stage in Saudi-British talks
RIYADH: Combating extremism and fighting terror were the focus of talks between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif in Riyadh on Tuesday.
May is on a two-day visit to the capital, and will meet King Salman and senior government officials. She was in Amman on Monday for the first leg of her tour. The focus of her visit to the two countries is to build stronger security, defense and trade partnerships.
In her talks with the crown prince, May discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations.
The meeting touched on joint cooperation against extremism and terrorism, as well as the two countries’ positions on regional developments.
Prior to her visit to the Kingdom, May said in a statement: “To tackle the threats we face from terrorism and from geopolitical instability, we must meet them at their source. We must never forget that intelligence we have received in the past from Saudi Arabia has saved potentially hundreds of lives in the United Kingdom.”
Saudi Arabia is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, with exports of British goods at £4.67 billion ($5.8 billion) and services at £1.9 billion in 2015.
“There is so much we can do together on trade, with immense potential for Saudi investment to provide a boost to the British economy,” she said.
UK Ambassador Simon Collis said May will have the opportunity to discuss important SaudiBritish cooperation in a number of areas, particularly counterterrorism and trade.
He said the UK has rich historic relations with the Kingdom, adding: “As we leave the EU, we are determined to strengthen this bond further. Working together, we can strive to boost both the security and prosperity of our two kingdoms.”