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Lord mayor visits Kuwait, GCC

LONDON, Feb 14 (KUNA) -- The Lord Mayor of the City of London, David Wootton, is heading a large business delegation to Kuwait and four other GGC States for a two-week visit, starting tomorrow, as part of efforts to ensure London and the UK remain the regional partner of choice when it comes to financial and professional services, he announced Tuesday.
The City is the financial and banking district of London, which is considered a world leader in international finance and business services.
During the tour, which will start by a two-day visit to Kuwait, the Lord Mayor will meet with Members of Ruling Families, senior figures in government, investment authorities and business leaders, he told Kuna in an interview.
The tour will include, apart from Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The Lord Mayor said he will travel with a business delegation of around 20 people which includes senior representatives of investment banks, asset managers, insurers and law firms.
As the ambassador for UK-based financial and professional services industry, he said: "Our relationship with the Kuwait and other GGC states is hugely important and this longstanding partnership is one that I hope to continue building upon during my tour there.
"London remains a leading global financial centre and the single most internationally focused financial market place in the world.
We have a wealth of expertise and innovative financing models that can mobilise the two-way flow of capital.
"We view this relationship very much as one of sharing skills and experiences to grow both our financial sectors.
Closer partnership will support the regional goals of economic diversification, growth, and infrastructure development". He stressed.
The business visit will focus on education and training, infrastructure development, and bilateral trade and investment.
The lord Mayor will be in Kuwait from (15-17 February) Qatar (17-20 February) Abu Dhabi (20-22 February) Dubai (22-24 February) Jeddah (24-26 February) Riyadh (26-28 February) Al Khobar (28-29 February) Bahrain (29 February-1 March).
In answer to a question, the Lord Mayor told Kuna that the discussions in Kuwait will include how to assist British companies to take part in the development of infrastructure projects in the Arab Gulf country.
The Lord Mayor showered praise on the role played by the Kuwait Investment Office (KIO) in the UK.
He noted that he paid recently a visit to the KIO offices here to highlight the importance the UK and the City of London attach to this important organisation, which helps cement business and investment ties between the two countries.
Referring to business opportunities in Kuwait, he said there are a number of important projects some of them to do with the Boubyan island development, the airport and hospitals. (end) he.asa Please note the Lord Mayor of the City of London has a different role from that played by the Mayor of London Boris Jonson, who looks after the whole city and has wider administrative, civic and police responsibilities. KUNA 141309 Feb 12NNNN