LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will begin a multi-day visit to the Gulf late Sunday, his first visit to the region since taking office, seeking stronger economic and defense ties with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. .
The government said in a statement on Sunday that it wanted to boost investment and deepen the defense and security partnership, calling the two Middle Eastern countries “some of Britain’s most important partners in the modern era”. described as “.
Starmer, who was elected to lead the world’s sixth-largest economy in July, will arrive in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, where he will hold talks with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday. He will go to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The statement added that stability in the Middle East is expected to be “high on the agenda” during the visit, including the urgent need for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, the release of all hostages and urgent aid to Gaza.
“There is huge potential in this region,” said Starmer, who wants to secure investment from wealthy Gulf states to fund his mission to rebuild Britain’s aging infrastructure and transition to clean energy. are
“I will make the case to accelerate progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement, deepen our research and development cooperation and partner on future projects,” he added in the statement.