Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:30 pm on 22 November 2016.
The Welsh Government is organising a subsidised trade mission to Saudi Arabia in March of next year, and I’m sure I don’t need to remind Members that Saudi Arabia is a place where people are executed for crimes, such as speaking out against the regime. With the help of UK exports, they’re also waging a brutal war against Yemen, which has claimed the lives of thousands, and the blockade of Yemen has caused a humanitarian crisis. Amid all of this brutality, is it appropriate to cosy up to Saudi Arabia? Don’t you think that you should be taking a stand on this question? And given the news today that arms sold to Saudi have ended up in the arms of ISIS fighters, can you reassure us today that this mission has nothing whatsoever to do with the defence or the arms industry?