Rob Clark
Curia’s Director of Foreign PolicyThis week saw another flurry of high-level diplomatic activity from the UK’s Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, as he began the week by swapping King Charles Street for Saudi Arabia and the World Economic Forum (WEF), in order to bolster both security and prosperity ties with the Middle East, amid the continued crisis in Gaza.
The WEF 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.
One of Lord Cameron’s main objectives whilst attending the WEF was to engage in diplomacy with key regional partners to drive forward “peace and prosperity”, as the UK continues to work urgently with Saudi Arabia and other allies to de-escalate wider regional instability and prevent further bloodshed.
Diplomacy and Backing Important Trade and Investment Projects
A key focus of this week’s trip to Riyadh was to promote UK business and investment opportunities with the emerging markets across the Middle East. With a nod to potential inward investment from Saudi firms, Lord Cameron declared that: “We will be backing important trade and investment projects that will create British jobs”, as the FCDO is working to highlight the attractiveness of the UK as an investment destination.
This comes as many Middle Eastern partners are diversifying their capital markets away from a dependence on hydrocarbon exports, and looking at commercial banking, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, and national infrastructure projects for attractive foreign direct investment.
The Foreign Secretary used his talks at the WEF to encourage more of this diplomacy and inward investment into Britian as part of his portfolio to promote international trade with the UK’s allies, as the Government encourages over 1,000 international investment projects into the UK each year.
Marking somewhat of an important and internationally noticeable step in Saudi Arabia’s progress as an increasingly influential power, this was the first time Riyadh has hosted the WEF, and comes as the Kingdom builds towards Vision 2030, the country’s plan to diversify their economy away from a dependency on oil.
Lord Cameron’s trip this week comes ahead of several key meetings with Saudi Arabia, with the annual aid dialogue and the GREAT Futures both set to go ahead later this month, highlighting UK expertise and capability in sectors that support Vision 2030.
The War in Gaza
A key topic of this week’s talks was the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and terrorist organisation Hamas. As Britain’s top diplomat, Lord Cameron and the FCDO are engaging in diplomacy with regional leaders like Saudi Arabia to use their collective influence to secure an immediate humanitarian pause, crucial if more aid is to get into Gaza – a central pillar of the UK Government’s current Gaza policy.
A humanitarian pause is also fundamental to ensuring the safe and successful release of Israeli hostages, 97 of whom are to still be alive in addition to 36 bodies Hamas has kept. Only then can any meaningful progress towards a permanent and sustainable ceasefire emerge.
Lord Cameron stated that: “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”.
Increased UK-Saudi Relations
This is Lord Cameron’s eleventh visit to the Middle East since becoming Foreign Secretary almost six months ago, in a sign of the intense diplomatic effort the Government are undertaking working with regional allies and partners to try and resolve the crisis in Gaza and other regional instability pinch points.
This trip also set the scene for the Deputy Foreign Secretary’s upcoming visit to Riyadh to co-host the second ever UK-Saudi Development Dialogue, and the launch of the GREAT Futures campaign – a twelve-month long campaign promoting bilateral British business and investment opportunities with the Kingdom.
In a sign of how close the Foreign Secretary views the relationship with Riyadh, Lord Cameron declared that: “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”.
Meanwhile, Hamas show unwilling to accept Israel’s overtly generous recent offer of a pause in fighting for mutual hostage release and increased aid into Gaza, and the IDF prepare to deploy two brigades to assault the remaining four Hamas battalions hiding amongst the one million displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah. Indeed, the region needs the kind of optimism which Lord Cameron and his Saudi counterparts bring to resolving ‘the biggest issues facing the Middle East, and the rest of the world’.
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