RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday signed a diplomatic training agreement with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The deal was signed by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji and Lord Tariq Ahmad, the British minister of state for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Commonwealth and the UN at the FCDO, during a remote meeting that was held via video call. The agreement involves a cooperation program between the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies at the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the FCDO of the UK and Northern Ireland, the Saudi ministry said in a statement. Delighted to sign a diplomats training agreement with Saudi Arabia DFM @W_Elkhereiji . We also discussed the need for an immediate stop in fighting in Gaza with irreversible steps to a two state solution, conflict resolution in Sudan as well as development cooperation. pic.twitter.com/PyTw3nhSIc — Lord (Tariq)Ahmad of Wimbledon (@tariqahmadbt) April 2, 2024 Both parties said the program will help establish and strengthen cooperation in the fields of information, research activities and training programs. The parties took the opportunity to discuss the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, as well as Saudi-UK cooperation in the field of development, the FCDO said. Ahmad said: “Delighted to sign a diplomats’ training agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji.” He added in a post on social media platform X: “We also discussed the need for an immediate stop in fighting in Gaza, with irreversible steps to a two-state solution, conflict resolution in Sudan, as well as development cooperation.”