Boris Johnson discusses Yemen civil war with Saudi Crown Prince Mohmmad bin Salman and ‘stresses importance’ of UK’s relationship with desert kingdom
- Mr Johnson stressed the importance of UK relationship with the desert kingdom
- PM ‘stressed our commitment to strengthening UK-KSA trade and investment’
- Comes as the Crown Prince sacked country’s top military commander in Yemen
Boris Johnson today held talks with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia where they discussed the Yemen civil war.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the UK’s relationship with the desert kingdom during the conversation with Mohammed bin Salman.
It comes as the Crown Prince sacked the country’s top military commander in Yemen and his son for ‘suspicious financial dealings’.
The Prime Minister (pictured yesterday) stressed the importance of the UK’s relationship with the desert kingdom during the conversation with Mohammed bin Salman
It comes as the Crown Prince (centre, last year) sacked the country’s top military commander in Yemen and his son for ‘suspicious financial dealings’
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister spoke to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, this evening.
‘He reiterated the importance of the UK’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia and stressed our commitment to strengthening UK-KSA trade and investment.
‘They also discussed the crisis in Yemen and support for the work of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.
‘The Prime Minister thanked Mohammed bin Salman for his leadership at the G20 on the global response to coronavirus, and looked forward to the upcoming G20 leaders’ summit.’
Mohammed bin Salman yesterday launched a fresh purge after sacking the country’s top military commander in Yemen and his son.
Lt Gen Fahad bin Turki bin Abdulaziz and his son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahad bin Turki, and other officials, form part of an anti-corruption probe, the kingdom said.
The announcement attributed the actions to a referral by Mohammed bin Salman, the 35-year-old son of King Salman, who earlier carried out mass arrests as part of a similar anti-corruption drive that also targeted potential rivals to his rule.
Lt Gen Fahad bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, commander of Saudi forces in Yemen, and his son Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahad bin Turki, have been sacked due following ‘suspicious financial dealings,’ according to state media
In 2017 the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Saudi capital of Riyadh was turned into a luxury prison following the mass arrest of businessmen, royals and others
A statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency referred to ‘suspicious financial dealings monitored at the Ministry of Defence,’ without elaborating.
As a result, the statement said the kingdom fired Lt Gen Fahad bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, a prince in Saudi Arabia’s large ruling family in charge of allied forces in the Saudi-led war in Yemen against Iranian-allied Houthi rebels.
Authorities also removed his son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahad bin Turki, from his position as the deputy governor of Saudi Arabia’s al-Jouf region in the kingdom’s northwest.
The kingdom is investigating four other officials as well, all on the orders of 84-year-old King Salman, the statement said.
It was not immediately clear if those accused had been detained.
Anti-corruption officials ‘shall complete the investigation procedures with all relevant military and civil officials, take the necessary legal measures against them and submit the outcomes,’ the statement said.
After coming to power, Crown Prince Mohammed has been behind several anti-corruption campaigns, including turning Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel into a luxury prison in late 2017 as part of a mass arrest of businessmen, royals and others.