On Tuesday, the Saudi state media reported Britain and Saudi Arabia signed a deal for military cooperation. The deal was signed two days after Saudi’s gulf rival Qatar signed a deal with the European nation to buy jet fighters.
British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon visited the Red Sea port city of Jeddah where Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed security ties with Fallon. The Saudi Press Agency reported the meeting without mentioning any details of the agreement.
The Saudi Press Agency states, “During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations particularly the mechanism… joint coordination in the field of defense. They also discussed… efforts to combat terrorism.”
Britain is looking to find lucrative trade deals outside Europe including the energy rich Gulf countries. These changes are being made after Britain voted to leave the European Union.
On Sunday, Qatar signed an agreement to buy 24 Typhoon fighter jets from Britain. This is the second major defense deal made by Qatar as its diplomatic dispute with its neighbors continue.
In June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut its ties with Qatar. The four countries accused Qatar of fostering ties with their rival Iran.
Qatar has denied these charges and instead stated that the dispute is an attack on its sovereignty. Western countries including Britain have requested the Arab states to end their boycott against Qatar but analysts have reported that there is no sign of change for the better.
