UK and Gulf Foreign Ministers have today agreed to strengthen
security and economic ties, setting the stage for an era of
closer cooperation in areas including trade, cyber security and
green infrastructure investment into low and middle-income
countries.
The Foreign Secretary convened the Foreign Ministers of Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, the UAE Ambassador and
Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and the GCC
Secretary-General at Chevening House today (20 December 2021).
The group agreed to work together to boost clean, reliable,
honest infrastructure financing into the developing world, using
their collective expertise to maximise the impact of investments.
The Gulf visitors also welcomed the relaunched British
International Investment (BII) body, which will increase
investments in infrastructure, tech and clean energy projects
across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.
In October, BII, then called CDC, announced a new deal with
Dubai’s DP World to modernise three ports in Senegal, Somaliland
and Egypt. This is part of a wider programme to boost African
trade around the world.
Foreign Ministers also welcomed work to increase trade between
the UK and the GCC, which is worth more than £30 billion per
year. The UK and GCC are working towards a new Free Trade
Agreement (FTA), with negotiations expected to commence next
year, which will boost links in areas like investment and
services.
stressed in her first major speech as Foreign Secretary
at Chatham House earlier this month that Britain and its partners
needed to “be on the front foot” because “the battle for economic
influence is already in full flow”. The Foreign Secretary sees
closer economic and security with the Gulf as key to standing up
to malign actors.
Foreign Secretary said:
Closer economic and security ties with our Gulf partners will
deliver jobs and opportunities for the British people and help
make us all safer.
Co-investing with the Gulf in infrastructure will help low-and
middle-income countries being strategically dependent on any one
provider, while also boosting clean growth and encouraging
enterprise and innovation to flourish.
It is a win-win for all parties. I want us to have much deeper
links in key areas like trade, investment, development and
cybersecurity with a part of the world that is important to
Britain’s long-term interests.
The GCC is one of the world’s most important networks for key
regional and security issues. The meeting was also used to
discuss the conflict in Yemen, Iran’s destabilising regional
activity, and the Afghanistan crisis. The UK has worked closely
with Gulf allies on these issues, providing urgent humanitarian
assistance and working together on evacuations in Afghanistan.
As one of the first countries to publicly welcome the Abraham
Accords, which normalised Israel’s relations with the UAE,
Bahrain and others in the region, the UK remains positive that
this historic step can promote shared regional prosperity and
security. The UK will support Israel and its partners in the Gulf
to achieve this.
Last week, the UK welcomed the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq
al-Said to London for talks with Her Majesty The Queen, His
Highness The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister, Foreign
Secretary and Defence Secretary. They discussed key
issues, including regional security, investments and trade.
Notes to editors
- Representatives from all GCC member states were at the talks
in London, including: Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin
Farhan Al Saud, Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Foreign Minister of Oman Sayyid Badr
Albusaidi, Foreign Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al
Zayani, Foreign Minister of Kuwait Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad
Al-Sabah, UAE Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the
United Nations Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, and the GCC Secretary-General
Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf at Chevening House today (20
December 2021).
