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المملكة: Prince William’s visit reflects the British government’s appreciation of the Kingdom’s political and economic standing


The Kingdom is associated with Prince William Crown Prince of Britain The British government appreciates the Kingdom’s political and economic standing, and the keenness of the leadership of the two countries to strengthen communication and consultation on files and issues of common interest in order to enhance regional and international security and stability. The two countries agree on the necessity of resolving crises and ending disputes by peaceful and diplomatic means through dialogue, not compromising the sovereignty of countries in the region, and emphasizing the unity and integrity of their territories.
Britain affirms its continued support for Saudi Vision 2030, as it is a transformative national project with Political, economic and social dimensions, as London views Riyadh as a pivotal strategic partner in the region and a rising economic power on the global level.

The strategic partnership between the Kingdom and Britain resulted in the growth of intra-trade between the two countries by more than 30% from 2018 to 2023, achieving $103 billion, and the volume of trade exchange between them in 2024 reached about $7.67 billion, achieving a significant growth of 13% compared to the year 2023, while its volume in 2025 (until the end of the third quarter) reached $5.83 billion.

Expansion of economic and investment partnerships

The expansion of economic and investment partnerships between Saudi Arabia and Britain comes as a direct result of the deep political understanding between the two countries, as both sides are keen to strengthen the economic partnership between the two kingdoms, and their commitment to increasing the volume of bilateral trade to $37.5 billion by the year 2030, and increasing investment in the two kingdoms, through the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the United Kingdom’s industrial strategy.
The Kingdom and Britain are keen to enhance trade and economic cooperation through the (GREAT FUTURES) initiative. During its holding, the initiative witnessed the signing of 38 investment agreements and announcements worth 20 billion riyals, which will contribute to strengthening trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as keeping pace with creativity and innovation in sectors of common interest.
The two countries are committed to a long partnership. The term to support the achievement of Vision 2030, to include a range of areas including: evaluation of mutual opportunities and investments with the United Kingdom (and through it) by the Public Investment Fund, intra-trade between the two countries, and public procurement from the United Kingdom’s private sector in various fields.

Enhancing investment cooperation between the two countries

The Public Investment Fund and the British Export Finance (UKEF) strengthened investment cooperation efforts between the two countries by signing a memorandum of understanding worth $6.8 billion to enhance the business of British companies. in the Saudi markets, in addition to supporting financing cooperation and expanding trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.

The two countries seek to strengthen economic relations between them through a set of investment strategies and events, including "Saudi-British Partnership and Business Forum" Which aims to stimulate communication and mutual visits between businessmen in the two countries, and to remove obstacles to the private sector, to expand existing projects and pump new investments.
In 2024, the balance of direct British investments in the Kingdom reached $17.3 billion, which represents an increase of 3.9% compared to the previous year (2023), and the number of British companies that moved their regional headquarters to Riyadh doubled to reach 1,700 companies, and the number of British people working in the Kingdom currently stands. 33 thousand.

Sustainable Infrastructure Summit

The British side appreciates the Kingdom’s role in supporting the balance and stability of global oil markets, and in the reliability of supplies as a major exporter of crude oil. The two friendly countries are keen to strengthen their strategic cooperation in various energy fields, including the field of clean energy, dealing with the challenges of artificial intelligence, technical cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy, and attracting British investments in renewable energy projects in the Kingdom.
Cooperation between the two countries developed in the field of infrastructure, so they organized In June 2024 "Sustainable Infrastructure Summit" To review opportunities for partnership in the development of sustainable cities and green energy technologies, the summit provided a platform for adopting and exchanging knowledge gained from the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and formed a global model for cooperation in the field of sustainable development.
The Kingdom and the United Kingdom share strong educational and cultural ties, as the number of Saudi scholarship students studying in British universities is about 14 thousand male and female students, and the University of Strathclyde also plans to become the first British university to establish a branch within the Kingdom, in cooperation with the Princess University. Noura bint Abdul Rahman.

Saudi-British military relations are a deep, historical, strategic partnership that has been ongoing for more than a century. The two sides have also worked to bring about a qualitative shift in the defense partnership, to strengthen the partnership and pave the way for further cooperation in the field of defense industries, including all aspects of the defense relationship between the two countries, including the field of combat aviation.

Enhancing technical cooperation

The Kingdom and the United Kingdom signed qualitative memorandums of understanding to enhance cooperation in "artificial intelligence", "Space science"and"Advanced industries"
This cooperation aims to integrate British academic and technical expertise with Saudi digital transformation ambitions, and to issue a joint statement to enhance industrial integration and scientific research between the two countries (September 2025).
The two countries are leading international initiatives in the fields of "Green hydrogen" and"Carbon capture"With the signing of agreements to strengthen critical mineral supply chains.
The Kingdom and Britain are committed to technical cooperation to achieve the goals of zero neutrality, which makes this partnership a global model for a sustainable transition towards clean energy.

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