RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deputy premier and defense minister, will embark on a landmark visit to London on Wednesday.
The visit will focus on defense, security and economic ties. The two sides will also review key bilateral and regional issues.
The crown prince 鈥渨ill hold wide-ranging talks with top British officials including Prime Minister Theresa May,鈥� the UK government said in a statement.
British Ambassador Simon Collis told Arab News on Sunday: 鈥淭he relationship between our two countries is historic and forward-looking, and the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed will establish the platform for this relationship to become even stronger.鈥�
The partnership 鈥渉elps make both of our countries safer through intelligence sharing, and more prosperous with substantial opportunities for two-way trade,鈥� Collis said.
鈥淭his will be the crown prince鈥檚 first visit to the UK since his appointment in June 2017, and since the Vision 2030 program of economic and social reforms that provide opportunities for British businesses to help support delivery in areas such as education, entertainment and health care.鈥�
Shoura Council member Mohammed Al-Khunaizi said: 鈥淭he UK is a major defense partner of the Kingdom. This cooperation, especially in the fields of security and intelligence sharing, makes both countries safer.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭he visit of Crown Prince Mohammed will be an opportunity to hold consultations candidly and constructively on bilateral and regional issues.鈥�
Al-Khunaizi said: 鈥淏ritain, a member of the UN Security Council, has been a dependable supplier of arms and defense equipment to Gulf states.鈥�
He spoke of growing relations between 黑料社区 and the UK regarding education and parliamentary cooperation.
鈥淎 British parliamentary delegation led by Leo Docherty, a Conservative MP, visited the Kingdom in September last year and discussed ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation,鈥� Al-Khunaizi said.
Shoura member Hoda Abdulrahman Al-Helaissi said the crown prince鈥檚 three-day trip to London 鈥渋s significant as Saudi-British relations have always been cordial.鈥�
She added: 鈥淔rom holidaying to seeking medical services or trade opportunities, and more importantly benefiting from a first-class education, Britain has always been one of the top destinations for Saudis.鈥�
Dr. Maha Al-Moneef, a consultant at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, said the visit will 鈥減romote further cooperation in numerous fields, contributing to human development, and achieving progress and prosperity for the Saudi people.鈥�
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Qayid, a founding member of the National Society of Human Rights (NSHR), said Vision 2030 鈥渨ill get a major boost鈥� from the visit, which will add 鈥渕ore defense, security and commercial content to Saudi-British relations.鈥�
Businessman Sadaka Al-Hamdan said: 鈥淭he Kingdom is the largest trading partner of Britain in the Middle East.鈥�
He added: 鈥満诹仙缜� is a high growth market that offers plenty of opportunities for British companies in different sectors.鈥�
The UK is 黑料社区鈥檚 second-largest cumulative investor, with about 200 joint ventures worth an estimated $15 billion in total.