A joint summit between the UK and Saudi Arabia was held in Riyadh with the objective of strengthening economic relations between the two nations while talks regarding a more comprehensive trade agreement between the UK and the Gulf states are still ongoing. The government stated in a statement that around 450 British businesspeople are attending the two-day conference, calling it the largest corporate delegation in over 10 years. Among them are executives from companies including HSBC Holdings Plc and British Airways Plc.
Strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia
In order to secure business for its firms in the kingdom and to draw investment back to the UK, the UK is attempting to take use of its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Artificial intelligence has received special attention in recent months; Saudi officials were invited by the UK to attend a global AI meeting that Sunak sponsored last year. The United Kingdom is seeking to use its experience in financial services, tourism, and higher education to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s goals for economic diversification.
The kingdom is attempting to increase the non-oil economy’s share by transforming itself into a new center for industry, sports, entertainment, and culture. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, hopes to see more UK businesses establish regional headquarters in Riyadh and seek for business licenses in the nation. Companies who don’t have a regional basis in Saudi Arabia risk losing business with the country’s extensive network of government agencies, including its almost $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, as a result of new regulations that went into force this year.
The UK’s ambitious delegation to Saudi Arabia
The Investment Minister of Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al-Falih, stated at the ceremony that out of the more than 400 licenses for regional headquarters available under the initiative, 52 had already been awarded to British companies. More than a thousand British investors have also been given permission to conduct business in the monarchy. In the first quarter of 2024, 150 more people submitted applications for approval, he added.
The 54-year-old retired instructor Mohammad bin Nasser al-Ghamdi was found guilty in July by the SCC of a crime related only to his nonviolent online activities on YouTube and Twitter, which is now known as X.Six The offenses he was found guilty of included “renouncing allegiance to the guardians of the state,” “supporting a terrorist ideology and a terrorist entity [the Muslim Brotherhood],” “using his accounts on Twitter and YouTube to follow and promote individuals who seek to destabilize public order,” and “sympathizing with individuals detained on terrorism-related charges.” He was found guilty under articles 30, 34, 43, and 44 of Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism law.
UK’s strategic move with 450-member delegation
The government persisted in its crackdown on those allegedly in breach of labor, border, and residence laws; this included arbitrarily detaining foreign nationals and arbitrarily arresting them based only on their irregular immigration status. The Ministry of Interior reports that out of the roughly 777,000 foreign nationals detained for “violating labor, residency and border security” restrictions between January and December, at least 468,000 were sent back to their country of origin. During the same time frame, more than 40,000 foreigners, the majority of whom were citizens of Ethiopia and Yemen, were detained for entering Saudi Arabia illegally from Yemen. Numerous Nepali migrant laborers hired to work at Amazon warehouses experienced grave violations of their human rights, including what may have been labor exploitation-related human trafficking.
UK’s efforts to deepen bonds with Saudi Arabia
Before departing their own country, the workers were misled by Saudi Arabian recruiting firms on the characteristics of their employer and the terms and circumstances of their employment. In addition, they were residing in completely subpar housing and having their salaries withheld by outside contractors. Regarding Saudi Arabia’s past abuses of human rights, Dowden responded, “Of course we discuss those things but also what we discuss are the huge opportunities and the huge agenda for prosperity,” when asked what he would say to British people who were worried. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of continuing trade negotiations between the UK and the six Gulf Cooperation Council members. Based on data from the British government, the GCC ranked as the seventh-largest export market for the UK in 2022, with total trade valued at £61 billion ($77 billion).
The significance of UK’s extensive delegation to Saudi Arabia
Some experienced physical or verbal abuse, or threats of such treatment, especially when they voiced concerns about their working and housing situations. Following their termination from Amazon deployment, these individuals were frequently left “jobless” by third-party contractors who failed to locate them for other employment and withheld their contractual wages. Additionally, contractors restricted these workers’ freedom of movement and employment mobility by failing to provide them with the necessary documentation to change jobs or leave the country, as well as by offering little to no support.