Defence Secretary, today hosted HRH Prince Khalid
bin Salman, Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
in London. The counterparts discussed the importance of our joint
defence activities to strengthen security in the Middle East,
with continued building on industrial partnerships covering land
and maritime, as well as our Future Combat Air partnership.
Houthi attacks, including the use of ballistic missiles and
unmanned aerial systems against global shipping, represent an
increased threat to security in the Red Sea.
The UK has demonstrated its commitment to support regional
security and stability through the deployment of HMS Diamond to
the Red Sea to protect key global shipping lanes. On Saturday
morning, HMS Diamond shot down a suspected attack drone which was
targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
Defence Secretary, said:
The UK has been, and will continue to be, a critical defence
partner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we are jointly
seeking to strengthen security in the Middle East.
It was a pleasure to host my counterpart, where we were steadfast
in our commitment to protect the free flow of global trade,
while also discussing progress on land, maritime and air
programmes.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the UK’s close support as it
undertakes a Defence Transformation under its ‘Vision 2030’. The
UK is continuing with our Defence Adviser Programme to Saudi
Arabia for a further 3 years, demonstrating our commitment to
strengthen cooperation on defence and security matters.
In order to address regional threats and challenges and ensure
stability; Saudi Arabia and the UK will look to expand joint
cooperation on multiple strategically significant capability
areas that match our respective Defence capability plans.
