Saudi Gazette report
Riyadh — British Prime Minister Theresa May is arriving in Riyadh on Tuesday on her first trip to Saudi Arabia to develop trade links with the state which is already the UK’s leading business partner in the Middle East.
She first traveled to Jordan on Monday to discuss additional British support for the Royal Jordanian Air Force in its fight against Daesh. She will then move on to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where her office said the focus would be on trade.
This is May’s first overseas visit since giving official notification last week that the UK will leave the European Union.
May said in a statement: “Jordan is on the frontline of multiple regional crises and I’m clear that by working with them, we are helping keep British people safe. Likewise in Saudi Arabia: We must never forget that intelligence we have received in the past from that country has saved potentially hundreds of lives in the UK.”
“It is clearly in the UK’s security and prosperity interests to support Jordan and Saudi Arabia in tackling regional challenges to create a more stable region, and in delivering their ambitious reform programs to ensure their own stability,” May said before she left.
“And 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 added: “As the United Kingdom leaves the EU, we are determined to forge a bold, confident future for ourselves in the world. We must look at the challenges that we, and future generations, will face and build stronger partnerships with countries that will be vital to both our security and our prosperity.”
Saudi Arabia is already the UK’s leading trading partner in the Middle East with annual trade worth $8.2 billion a year. In December last year, May described the UK as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf’s “partner of choice” during a visit to Bahrain to address the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). She also used the visit, where she spoke from the deck of a Royal Navy warship, to announce the establishment of the first joint UK-GCC counter-terrorism working group.
