Saudi Arabia and Britain have signed a framework deal on military and security cooperation.
According to Saudi state media the deal was signed as British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon discussed military cooperation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmanon.
The move comes just two days after Gulf rival Qatar signed a deal with the British government to buy typhoon jet fighters.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
last year, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would invest over three billion pounds in defense in the Gulf Arab states over the next decade.
The Telegraph reports:
The agreement came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed security ties with visiting British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, the Saudi Press Agency said without disclosing details of the agreement.
“During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations particularly the mechanism… joint coordination in the field of defense. They also discussed… efforts to combat terrorism,” SPA said.
The agreement comes as Britain seeks to explore lucrative trade deals outside Europe, including energy-rich Gulf monarchies, after voting to leave the European Union.
Qatar on Sunday signed an agreement to buy 24 Typhoon fighter jets from Britain, a second major defence deal signed by Doha during its prolonged diplomatic dispute with its neighbours.
Regional kingpin Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shiite rival Iran.
Niamh Harris
Be the first to comment