David Lammy travels to Gulf for visits to Oman and Qatar
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is travelling to the Persian Gulf on Saturday after he attends the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City, alongside the Prime Minister.
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David Lammy will visit Oman for the first time since be became Foreign Secretary.
In Oman, he will discuss recent US-Iran talks aimed at stopping Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
He will also visit Qatar and hold talks with its leaders about boosting trade with the UK.
Both visits also give the Foreign Secretary the chance to discuss the latest efforts to bring about peace in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and Houthi rebels' threats to shipping in the Red Sea.
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Ahead of the visit, Mr Lammy said: "The UK's relationship with the Gulf continues to go from strength to strength.
"Our partnerships are unlocking huge investment opportunities in the UK and creating jobs in the industries of the future which is at the very heart of our plan for change.
"But boosting growth is reliant on building stability. It's vital we engage closely with partners like Qatar and Oman to strengthen security in the region, this includes countering Iran's malign activity in the region and bringing the war in Gaza to end."