LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - British foreign minister Liz
Truss will travel to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week, seeking
to further the case for a trade deal with Gulf countries and
deepen diplomatic ties.
Truss, formerly Britain's trade minister, will meet her
Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Qatar's Emir
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during the visit, the foreign office
said.
Earlier this month Britain took the first steps towards
starting trade negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council
which includes both Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Since moving to the foreign office in a reshuffle last
month, Truss has tried to more closely align Britain's economic
and trading ambitions with its diplomatic, defence and security
agenda - seeking to maximise the country's global influence
following its exit from the European Union.
"I want a closer trading and investment relationship with
the Gulf and for us to collaborate more closely on issues like
intelligence sharing, development, security and defence," Truss
said.
She will also discuss cooperation on Afghanistan with Qatar,
which has been hosting talking between the Taliban and Western
officials since Taliban forces took control of Kabul.
(Reporting by William James; editing by Costas Pitas)