Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, arrived in Kuwait today as part of a Gulf-wide tour. The Minister is visiting Bahrain, Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, undertaking bilateral meetings to build on the strong partnerships between the UK and these countries, particularly on shared security issues and the economic benefits of the Free Trade Agreement with the GCC.
In Bahrain, Lord Ahmad co-chaired the 15th meeting of the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group on 12th February 2023. The meeting, hosted by His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, was an opportunity to discuss the excellent bilateral relationship the UK and Bahrain share across a broad range of issues, and to exchange views on economic growth, security, the human rights landscape and regional and international developments.
In Kuwait, Lord Ahmad will co-chair the 19th UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group alongside His Excellency Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, Kuwait’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The two will discuss and sign a new ‘action plan’ to direct progress on key areas of bilateral cooperation including cyber security, education, defence and development. Lord Ahmad will also meet a range of other stakeholders to talk through issues such as countering shared regional and global challenges, how to further strengthen trade & investment ties, and the role of women in Kuwait’s future.
In the KSA, Lord Ahmad will announce the 12 finalists for the UK Alumni Awards 2022-23 in Saudi Arabia. The finalists have been selected for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their important contribution to strengthening the cooperative relationships between the UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
For the ninth consecutive year, the prestigious global award ceremony celebrates UK higher education and the achievements of UK alumni around the world. With education being such a powerful driver of development and success, these awards are an opportunity to showcase some of the wonderful talent of Saudi’s young people who have been supported to thrive and flourish through their engagement with the UKs higher education institutions.
Lord Ahmad said: “Kuwait is a long-standing friend and ally of the UK. I am looking forward to co- chairing the 19th UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group alongside His Excellency Mansour Ayyad Al- Otaibi, who I had the great pleasure of meeting in London a couple of weeks back. The Joint Steering Group ensures that we continue to make progress on the key pillars of our bilateral relationship, which is underpinned, not least, by the strength of the people-to-people links between our two great nations.”