After news broke that the Saudi ruler had received an invitation to visit Britain, Rishi Sunak and Mohammed bin Salman conversed on Thursday and reached an agreement to meet in the near future, as confirmed by Downing Street.
Sunak and Saudi’s MBS meet soon: The Times said that the controversial crown prince was planning to visit the UK for the first time since the 2018 killing of critical writer Jamal Khashoggi.
The ruler of the Gulf kingdom was accused of authorizing the murder of the Washington Post columnist at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. However, he denies any involvement.
Particularly in the wake of the unrest brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western governments have been courting Saudi Arabia, an oil-rich nation.
Sunak met the prince, whose initials are MBS, in November at the G20 conference in Bali to talk about the erratic energy markets.
In Jeddah earlier this month, Saudi Arabia hosted discussions on the conflict in Ukraine.
Sunak “looked forward to personally deepening the long-standing ties between the UK and Saudi Arabia” during the two’s phone discussion, according to Downing Street.
The statement added, “The prime minister and crown prince… looked forward to meeting in person as soon as possible.”
“The Times stated that they had planned a visit for the upcoming months, but when AFP contacted Sunak’s office, they did not receive a prompt response.”
Critics often criticize Saudi Arabia for its human rights record, particularly concerning the death penalty. However, the country is striving to enhance its reputation through a comprehensive program of social and economic transformation referred to as “Vision 2030.”
Sport is one example of this, with a Saudi sovereign wealth fund currently holding a majority ownership in Newcastle United of the English Premier League.
The UK reiterated its commitment to internal Saudi security and regional security, according to Sunak’s office, and the two discussed how to enhance trade and investment connections as well as those in military and security.
“UK Arms Exports and Saudi Arabia: Trends, Ceasefire Support, and Regional Impact”
According to a parliamentary briefing note from January, the Middle East receives the majority (51 percent) of the UK’s arms exports.
“From June 2019 to July 2020, the UK temporarily halt the issuance of new arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia for products that had the potential to be use in the Yemeni conflict.”
Saudi Arabia received 275 permits in 2021 for strategic commodities worth a total of £267 million.
The UK will continue to support efforts to extend the ceasefire and lessen the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, where the prime minister (Sunak) “welcomed progress on the conflict in Yemen,” according to a statement from Downing Street.