Trade negotiations have started between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that could provide a boost to hundreds of Scottish businesses.
A free trade agreement with the GCC - made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - is estimated to bring a boost of over £270m to the Scottish economy.
In a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the secretary of state will meet GCC secretary general Dr Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf and Saudi Arabian trade minister Dr Majid Bin Abdullah Al Qasabi to kick off talks which are expected to culminate in a trade deal worth £1.6bn more a year to the UK economy as a whole.
