British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's participation in Manama dialogue summit, to kick off Friday, reflects the country's commitment to preserving the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and enhancing economic and trade cooperation, UK Government Spokesperson in the Middle East and North Africa Edwin Samuel said Thursday.

In statements to the Dubai-based UK Government Regional Media and Communication Office, Samuel said trade relations between Britain and the GCC countries are in constant development as the Gulf market is the third worldwide recipient of British exports.

Trade between Britain and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states hit 30 billion sterling in 2015. Gulf investments in the UK are also estimated at more than 2 billion sterling.

Cooperation between the two sides are not confined to economic domains but also include security one as well, Samuel said, stressing that Britain will always remain a close partner to the Gulf states in face of challenges and conflicts currently ripping the Middle East region.

In this regard, he referred to UK Prime Minister Theresa May's statements in which she said Britain would invest more than 3 billion pounds in defense spending in the region over the next decade.

May attended the GCC summit on Tuesday.

Source: MENA