Minister meets British counterpart in London

Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi met with Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Development of the United Kingdom, at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London.

The meeting reviewed the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and ways to strengthen their strategic partnership across political, economic, development and investment fields. The Ministers followed up on the outcomes of work of the Strategic Dialogue Team and the Joint Working Group. They reviewed progress in implementing agreed programmes and workstreams in support of shared interests and expanded bilateral cooperation.

On regional issues, the Ministers exchanged views on developments of mutual interest, including the situations in Yemen, Sudan and Iran.

The Ministers agreed on the importance of supporting efforts to consolidate de-escalation in Yemen and advance inclusive political dialogue in a manner that safeguards Yemen’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

They also discussed developments in the Gaza Strip. They underlined the need to scale up humanitarian efforts to ease the suffering of the population. They called for intensified international action to secure a permanent ceasefire, support reconstruction efforts and revive the peace process based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, the Ministers stressed the importance of creating conditions that enable a return to the diplomatic track and the resumption of negotiations. They noted that this would help reduce regional tensions, strengthen security and stability and spare the region the risks of escalation and conflict.

Regarding Sudan, the Ministers addressed the grave humanitarian situation. They called for efforts to halt the fighting and establish a truce that allows UN relief agencies to carry out their humanitarian work. They also underscored the need to pave the way for political consensus among the conflicting parties.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.