New era in Saudi-British ties

London — Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom committed to a long-term partnership to support Vision 2030 covering a wide-range of fields as Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, concluded a three-day historic visit to Britain.

The Crown Prince arrived in Riyadh on Saturday.

At King Khalid International Airport, the Crown Prince was received by Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz, deputy emir of Riyadh region.

Crown Prince Muhammad sent separate cables of thanks to Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Theresa May.

In his cable to the Queen, the Crown Prince said, “My profound thanks and gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to me and the accompanying delegation.

“Your Majesty: I would like to pay tribute to the historical relations binding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Let me also confirm that the talks which took place during the visit would contribute to further deepening this relation and enhance them and provide support for the joint cooperation ties to achieve the aspirations of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Your Majesty.”

In his cable to Prime Minister May, the Crown Prince said the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council confirmed the determination to further strengthen bilateral relations in all fields and work for continuing coordination and cooperation on issues of mutual concern.

Britain and Saudi Arabia signed commercial deals worth more than $2 billion during Crown Prince Muhammad’s visit to London which ended on Friday, a joint statement said.

At the start of the trip, the countries set themselves a £65 billion ($90 billion) trade and investment target for the coming years, with London looking for new post-Brexit markets for its services sector.

The two countries also signed a letter of intent to finalize talks on a multi-billion-pound order for 48 Typhoon aircraft made by BAE Systems.

“The Crown Prince’s visit has opened a new chapter in our two countries’ historic relationship,” British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said.

“We have taken a vital step towards finalizing another order for Typhoon jets that will increase security in the Middle East and boost British industry and jobs in our unrivalled aerospace sector,” he said.

Priority areas of cooperation include education, training and skills; financial and investment services; culture and entertainment; healthcare services and life sciences; technology and renewable energy; and the defense industry. Taken together these opportunities are expected to amount up to $100bn over a 10-year period, from which by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) will aim to target direct investments amounting to $30bn.

The two sides pledged £100 million of joint funding to support livelihoods and economic prosperity in the Horn of Africa and East Africa.

The two countries stressed the importance of Iran’s adherence to the principles of good neighboring behaviors, and not interfering in the internal affairs of countries in accordance with international norms and the United Nations Charter.

The two countries confirmed the importance of reaching a political solution to the crisis in Yemen on the basis of the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcome of the Yemen National Dialogue and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

The United Kingdom welcomed Saudi Arabia’s recent establishment of an office for Yemen reconstruction in Riyadh to develop reconstruction plans to be implemented following a political settlement. The United Kingdom sees this as an important expression of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the long-term development of all of Yemen.