Commerce Minister Heads Preparatory Work for Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Meetings

Minister of Commerce Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi is leading the preparatory work for the meetings of the Economic and Social Pillar of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council, taking place in London through February 8.

The preparatory work involves a high-level Saudi delegation consisting of 19 officials from 10 government bodies.

During the meetings, Al-Qasabi, accompanied by Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom, engaged in bilateral discussions with esteemed British officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch, and Minister of State for Investment at the Department for Business and Trade Lord Dominic Johnson.

Additionally, they held discussions with Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Business and Investment Franck Petitgas, UK Infrastructure Bank chief operating officer James Emmett, and British Museum Director Sir Mark Jones.

The meetings focused on enhancing economic partnerships in priority sectors for both countries, activating previously agreed-upon initiatives, and discussing joint executive work plans for the current year.

They also explored ways to expand business opportunities, attract quality investments, and encourage British companies to increase their operations in Saudi Arabia and benefit from promising opportunities.

Tomorrow’s agenda includes two scheduled meetings. The first meeting will be at the Department of Business and Trade with Minister of State for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani to discuss enhancing supply-chain flexibility, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in economic activities, and exchanging expertise. They will also discuss deepening cooperation in joint mining projects, particularly those related to rare minerals.

In the second meeting, Al-Qasabi will discuss bilateral initiatives in the fields of education and training, as well as opportunities for their development at the Department of Education with Minister of State for Schools Damian Hinds.

The preparatory meetings will conclude with technical team meetings under the Economic and Social Pillar for talks on cooperation initiatives in trade, investment, education, healthcare, energy, industry, culture, and sports.

The Saudi delegation includes representatives from several government entities, including the Ministries of Energy, Education, Health, Commerce, Industry and Mineral Resources, Investment, Sport, Culture, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the National Competitiveness Center.