DUBAI: People in the UK and Saudi Arabia are much safer if the two countries have a close relationship, the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has said in an interview with British national The Telegraph.
In the article, published on the eve of his state-visit to the UK, Mohammed Bin Salman was quoted as saying that Brexit potentially freed up Britain to do more business with the Kingdom.
“We believe that Saudi Arabia needs to be part of the global economy,” he said. “People need to be able to move freely, and we need to apply the same standards as the rest of the world. After Brexit there will be huge opportunities for Britain as a result of Vision 2030.”
He said the two countries enjoyed historic ties that dated back more than 100 years to the foundation of the Kingdom.
“We have a common interest that goes back to the earliest days of the relationship,” he said, adding: “Our relationship with Britain today is super.”
The article inevitably touched on the wide-reaching reforms the country was undergoing that included the allowing of Saudi women to drive, work and run businesses.
He said that while Vision 2030 worked to diversify the economy, the inclusion of women in driving that economy was essential to the long-term success of the wide-ranging project.
Wednesday will mark the first official visit to Britain by the 32-year-old Saudi royal, who has been tasked with modernizing the Kingdom.
During his time there he will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May and members of the Royal Family. The Crown Prince was tasked in June 2017 with driving through change in the Kingdom that would “address the needs and aspirations of Saudi’s restless, and predominantly young population,” the article added.
He said that global travel had made Saudis more aware of how other countries operated – such an insight, he explained, had led to a change in the aspirations of Saudi Arabia’s younger population.
Currently, UK trade with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states accounts for 10 percent of total commercial transactions – that is more than the total amount of trade with China, the report added, citing British diplomats.
Another mainstay of UK-Saudi relations is defense and intelligence issues. During his visit the Crown Prince will have private meetings with the heads of MI5, MI6 – he has also been granted rare access for a visiting foreign dignitary to a meeting of the National Security Council.
The article stressed that MBS believes that by promoting a more moderate Islamic outlook inside the Kingdom enables it to play a greater role in defeating Islamist-inspired extremism.
“The British and Saudi people, along with the rest of the world, will be much safer if you have a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia,” the Crown Prince said.
He said the job at hand was to promote a “more moderate Islam,” to counter the “extremists and the terrorists (who) are linked through spreading their agenda.”
He said the economic growth in Saudi Arabia would benefit the rest of the Middle East, which would in turn help to defeat extremism.
“We want to fight terrorism, and we want to fight extremism because we need to build stability in the Middle East,” he said. “We want economic growth that will help the region to develop.”
And he explained that because of Saudi Arabia’s dominant position, it was key to the economic success of the region.
He dismissed claims that the Saudi government’s current stance against Iran and Qatar could potentially provoke new regional conflict.
He said Britain was “very supportive” of the Kingdom’s concerns over Iran and other regional security issues. Mohammed Bin Salman’s three-day visit to the UK starts on Wednesday and while the precise details of his trip are not known, it is thought they will include meeting the Queen at Windsor Castle. (Arab News)
