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Foreign Office Minister welcomes Saudi Justice Secretary

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt, met with the Saudi Justice Secretary, Dr Mohammed bin Abdulkareem Al-Issa to further strengthen relations following the Prime Minister’s successful visit to Saudi Arabia in January.

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Commenting after the meeting, Alistair Burt said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome Dr Al-Issa to the Foreign Office today as part of a week-long visit to the UK. Our friendship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an important partner and ally in the region, is in excellent health. Today we discussed how to open up new areas of cooperation in the justice sector, in particular how we can support legal sector reform in Saudi Arabia. As part of our open and honest relationship, I also raised our concerns about human rights ahead of the publication of the FCO Annual Human Rights Report 2011. While there has been some positive progress on human rights, including voting rights for women, we continue to encourage the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to improve its record, particularly on women’s rights, the death penalty and the treatment of migrant workers.”

Published 26 April 2012