00:00And it's also widely expected that Prince William's visit will help Britain agree a free trade agreement with the GCC.
00:08Can he use his royal magic to get this deal over the line, which has been in the making for
00:15almost four years?
00:16Absolutely. I think the recognition on that front would be that it's high time to kind of deal the deal
00:22in a way that is mutually acceptable.
00:24I think Saudi Arabia and the UK's efforts going into those multi-year negotiations have been well demonstrated.
00:29But I think the tone is now set for both countries, for example, charter roadmap, which looks for integration.
00:35I think the GCC-UK agreement, once materializing, can serve as an important proof point.
00:40And I think part of my optimism stems from the UK's recent bilateral dialogues as well, in which the focus
00:48on economy and trade has been bilateral.
00:50But there's a growing openness to, for example, increase market access as well, you know, kind of create these very
00:56conducive conditions for exporters on both sides to benefit from Middle East export flow, something which Saudi Arabia has a
01:03vantage point.
01:04And so I think when you look at those considerations at this point in time, I think this particular visit
01:07is the highest level.
01:09Prince William can obviously use his personal aura as well to kind of put the seals on this going forward.
01:15So I think there's a lot of optimism on the front, yeah.
01:20We'll see you then.
Comments