Foreign Secretary attends World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia to bolster ties with Middle East

Foreign Secretary attends World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia to bolster ties with Middle East

Foreign Secretary attends World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia where he will hold high level talks with partners in the Middle East.

• Foreign Secretary to attend the World Economic Forum and meet with key regional partners to drive forward peace and prosperity.
• UK is working urgently with Saudi Arabia and other allies to deescalate wider regional stability and prevent further bloodshed.
• Trip comes ahead of the Deputy Foreign Secretary's visit to Riyadh to co-host the second ever UK-Saudi Development Dialogue and the launch of the GREAT Futures campaign.

The Foreign Secretary will today (29th April) attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) and hold high level talks with partners in the Middle East on regional stability, security, and prosperity.

The UK is a dynamic, ambitious, and globally connected economy, and the FCDO is to working to further highlight the attractiveness of the UK as an investment destination. We encourage over 1,000 international investment projects to the UK each year, and the Foreign Secretary will use his talks at the WEF to encourage more inward investment to the UK.

This is the first time Riyadh has hosted the WEF, marking an important step in Saudi Arabia's progress as it builds towards Vision 2030, the country's plan to diversify their economy away from a dependency on oil. The Foreign Secretary's trip comes ahead of a number of key meetings with Saudi Arabia, with the annual aid dialogue set to go ahead in May and the GREAT Futures expected to be launched in Riyadh later in May that will highlight UK expertise and capability in sectors that support Vision 2030.

A key topic of talks will be the conflict in Gaza. The UK is working with regional leaders to use their collective influence to secure an immediate humanitarian pause to get more aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a permanent and sustainable ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

The Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, said:

It is a vital time to push for UK security and prosperity. We will be backing important trade and investment projects that will create British jobs while discussing important security issues, including Israel and Gaza.

The UK and Saudi Arabia share close ties that mean we can work together to tackle the biggest issues facing the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Achieving an immediate pause in Gaza, releasing hostages and ensuring aid reaches those who need it most remains a top priority and we will continue to work with key partners in the region to that end.

This is David Cameron's eleventh visit to the Middle East since becoming Foreign Secretary. FCDO Minister of State Lord Ahmad will attend the WEF alongside the Foreign Secretary.

The World Economic Forum comes at a critical moment for the Middle East, bringing together over 700 leaders to discuss key regional and global issues, from conflict resolution to sustainable development and energy security.

The Foreign Secretary will attend a session on rejuvenating growth at the event, which will work on preventing the emergence of a fractured global economy and long-term plans for developing countries' future growth, access to development finance and energy.

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