PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia [August 2023]

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, His Highness Mohammed bin Salman, earlier today.

He welcomed the opportunity to speak to the Crown Prince and looked forward to personally deepening the long-standing ties between the UK and Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom continues to go through a period of profound social and economic transformation under Vision 2030.

The leaders discussed their commitment to further develop our trade and investment relationship, including by collaborating in new cutting-edge industries, and to strengthen our close cooperation on defence and security. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s long-standing commitment to support Saudi Arabia’s security and regional stability.

He also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s constructive and positive leadership on Ukraine following the recent talks in Jeddah, and the leaders agreed on the importance of allies working together to end the bloodshed in Ukraine and support a just and lasting peace. The Prime Minister welcomed progress on the conflict in Yemen, where the UK will continue to back efforts to extend the ceasefire and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

The Prime Minister and Crown Prince said they would continue working closely together to progress UK-Saudi cooperation and looked forward to meeting in person at the earliest opportunity.