British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh on an official visit on Wednesday night. Upon her arrival at King Salman Airbase, she was received by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh region; Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a number of officials.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received May at his palace in Riyadh and has held talks in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and means of enhancing them, in addition to discussing developments in the region.
British Ambassador to the Kingdom Simon Collis, Vice President of State Office Joanna Bain, Military Adviser John Clarke and Deputy National Security Adviser Christian Turner attended from the British side.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, held talks on Wednesday evening with British Prime Minister Theresa May at his palace in Riyadh, during which they reviewed bilateral relations and means of enhancing them, in addition to developments in the region.
The talks were held in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister. May had landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on an official visit to the Kingdom, her second in less than 6 months.The premier last visited Saudi Arabia in April.
In a related development, a spokesperson for the prime minister said: “The meeting between King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and May discussed enhancing the friendship bonds between Riyadh and London,” adding that the talks focused on cooperation and dialogues concerning the latest developments in the region, particularly in Yemen.
“May is very pleased to visit Saudi Arabia for a second time, which reflects the level of partnership and cooperation between Britain and the most important regional State,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier Wednesday, May met with her Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi, with whom she discussed the fight against terrorism and ways to enhance bilateral relations. May is on a three-day tour to the Middle East. She is expected to visit Jordan on Thursday.
On her hand, May warned against Iran’s “destabilizing regional behavior” during a visit to Saudi Arabia. Meeting with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, May noted Britain’s shared concerns about Iran and agreed that more work was needed “to bring the international community together to counter it.”
She also raised the situation in Yemen and emphasized the need to re-open supply channels to facilitate the movement of vital aid to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. “They agreed that steps needed to be taken as a matter of urgency to address this and that they would take forward more detailed discussions on how this could be achieved,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Saudi Arabia closed major ports in response to security concerns after Houthi militias fired a missile toward Riyadh on Nov. 6 but has since partially re-opened some hubs. During the meeting, regional security and stability were discussed, noting the positive progress made in Iraq in the fight against Daesh.
May also expanded on Britain’s previous messages of support for the Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s blueprint for social and economic reform.