During his visit to Abu Dhabi, Mr Ellwood will attend the
twice-yearly UAE – UK Joint Working Group Ministerial
Taskforce with his counterpart His Excellency Dr Anwar
Gargash, to discuss cooperation between the UK and UAE in
a number of areas including trade, regional issues and UK
participation in DubaiExpo2020.
In Saudi Arabia, Mr Ellwood will meet His Excellency Dr
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Secretary-General of the
Gulf Cooperation Council, among other senior Government
representatives, to discuss finding a political solution
to the conflict in Yemen, and improving access for
humanitarian relief in the country.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Ellwood said:
The UK’s partnership with the Gulf is an important one:
as the Prime Minister said in her address to the Gulf
Cooperation Council, Gulf security is our security, and
we will be discussing areas where we can further
cooperation. I will also be discussing the conflict in
Yemen and making clear that an inclusive political
solution is the only way to end the suffering of the
Yemeni people. Finding a political way forward will not
be straightforward and tough discussions need to be
had, but the UK will do everything it can to support
that process.
