May discusses closer ties with Saudi crown prince

Rasa - UK Prime Minister Theresa May has met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, on a trip to ensure strong ties with the kingdom as Britain prepares to leave the European Union.

News ID: 428671

Date: 05 April 2017 - 23:22

RNA - May was welcomed by senior Saudi officials after arriving in Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport on Tuesday.

She kicked off the two-day stay at the country by meeting Nayef, discussing ways to strengthen bilateral relations. They also touched on terrorism and the ongoing peace process in the Middle East. The premier was slated to meet King Salman on Wednesday.

London is seeking to become a leading partner of the monarchy in its Vision 2030 program, under which the Saudi leaders seek to reduce reliance on oil exports, hire more women and boost their culture.

Reforming the Saudi war machine, helping the kingdom diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil are some of the areas May is expected to discuss with Salman.

“These new partnerships, on defense and security, trade and the economy, education, healthcare, culture and sport, evidence the breadth and depth of the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia,” said May.

The prime minister also expressed her government’s full support for the Vision 2030, calling it “ambitious.”

Both the UK and Saudi Arabia have supported extremist militant groups that have been waging an wars against the governments of Iraq and Syria over the past few years.

Britain has been one of the biggest suppliers of weapons to Riyadh for 40 years, providing the Saudi rulers with advanced weapons throughout the kingdom’s ruthless war on Yemen, which has left thousands of women and children dead.

The UK exported more than £6.5 billion in goods and services to Saudi Arabia in 2015, making it Britain’s largest trading partner in the Middle East.

Before heading to Saudi Arabia, May sought similar objectives in Jordan. She discussed terrorism and expansion of mutual ties with the country with the kingdom’s monarch, King Abdullah II.

In response to criticism about London’s silence over the Saudi aggression against Yemen, May defended the British relationship with Saudi Arabia and said she had no problem bringing up the country’s human rights record during the trip.

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