Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will start on March 7 a visit to London, which British Prime Minister Theresa May described as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations.
The visit by the Saudi crown prince is a platform for strengthening bilateral ties and will include talks on economic and security partnership, May’s office said in a statement. During the visit, Prince Mohammed is expected to hold talks with the premier and meet with British government ministers.
“The partnership between the UK and Saudi Arabia already helps make both of our countries safer through intelligence-sharing which has saved British lives, and more prosperous, with thousands of jobs created in the UK and substantial opportunities for British companies in Saudi Arabia,” the statement added.
The British premier also stressed that the visit of the crown prince would establish “the platform for that relationship to become even stronger.”
“Saudi Arabia is changing. We have seen recent decisions to allow women to drive from June this year, a target for women to make up one-third of the Saudi workforce by 2030, and a move to develop sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism," May stated.
"These are all sectors where the UK leads the world and where there are new opportunities to work together,” she added.
The British premier went on to say that Britain was a country open to the outside, by strengthening its relationships around the world and defending its values.
“The visit of the Crown Prince is an opportunity to do so precisely for the benefit of our people and the Saudi people,” she said.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a tweet that he was eager to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He described the visit as an opportunity to hold constructive dialogue on foreign policy and support the reform program.
The visit will be the crown prince’s first to the UK since his appointment in June 2017.
