LONDON, Feb 13 (KUNA) -- The Lord Mayor of the City of London Ian Luder is leading a large business delegation on a 12-day visit to the Gulf which will take him to the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia next week.
In a nrews briefing with a group of Arab journalists here, the Lord Mayor said he will meet members of the ruling royal family, senior figures in government and business leaders in these countries.
The Lord Mayor paid tribute to the relationship between the Gulf states and the City of London (the Square Mile which is considered the financial and banking area in the British capital).
His objective of the visit is to build on the hugely important ties with the region.
Luder pointed out that he was looking forward to sharing the London experience as a leading business hub, especially in the area of Islamic finance and also to encourage business leaders and financial institutions to look to London as a partner to do business with and mobilise capitol and expertise.
Referring to the global financial crisis, he said the visit comes at a critical time as in recent months world financial markets have been rocked by the credit crisis which has spread everywhere.
The Lord Mayor emphasized the need to begin rebuilding market confidence and financial stability.
He underscored that the value of trust and close relationship between the GCC states and the City of London are now more important than ever.
"As global trading nations, the UK and its partners in the Gulf recognise the importance of keeping markets open", he said.
The Lord Mayor will travel with a business delegation of around 20 people which include senior representatives of investment banks, asset managers, insurers and law firms.
The Lord Mayor will visit Dubai from 14-16 February, Abu Dhabi from16-18 February, Qatar from 18-20 February and Saudi Arabia from 20-23 February.
In answer to a question, the Lord Mayor said that he will endeavour during the trip to promote bilateral trade and investment, education and training built on existing, as well as forging new relationships.
The City of London, which is known as the "Square Mile", is one of the worlds leading international finance centres.
The Lord Mayor heads the City of London Corporation which provides business and local government services in the city.
His principal role today is ambassador for all the UK-based financial and professional services.
The Lord Mayor of London is not the Mayor of London, as the latter is a political portfolio which covers responsibilities related to all Greater London and not just the City of London.
The current Mayor of London Boris Johnson, is a prominent main opposition Conservative figure.
Copyright Kuwait News Agency 2009.
