British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to step up the country's engagement in the Middle East to support long-term stability, the government said on Monday.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Keir Starmer on Monday in Abu Dhabi © WAM
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to step up the country's engagement in the Middle East to support long-term stability, the government said on Monday.
"The stability of the Middle East is paramount to delivering a foundation of security at home," the statement cited Starmer as having said during his first visit to the region since taking office in July.
"The Prime Minister said the UK will play a more present and consistent role in the region, and work with partners to increase defence cooperation to strengthen deterrence of threats across land, sea, space, air and cyber."
Starmer also set out an additional 11 million pounds ($14.07 million) of humanitarian aid for Syria, where rebel forces have seized the capital of Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Russia.
Starmer has also agreed to bolster the existing defence partnership between Britain and Saudi Arabia and promote greater defence industrial cooperation.
($1 = 0.7820 pounds)
Reporting by Muvija M
Saudi Arabia issued alerts on Thursday warning of potential danger in Yanbu, the kingdom's Red Sea oil export hub, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis continue attacks on the kingdom that have opened another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Saudi Arabia and Syria signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries' defense ministries on Wednesday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group continues its missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.
Ankara rejected on Wednesday what it called the "prejudiced and unfair" stance of the European Union towards fundamental rights and the judiciary in Turkey, and regarding Cyprus, contained in the bloc's report on EU membership candidates.
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