LONDON (Reuters – Britain’s first step in trade negotiations will be Friday with the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). British businesses are being asked about what agreement they desire.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Trade minister) is targeting a deal to the GCC. She’s looking for new relationships around the world after Britain’s exit the European Union.

Trevelyan launches a 14-week consultation on Friday. Trevelyan invites the public to voice their opinions on how a deal should be made. Representatives of the GCC will be in London as well.

“We want a modern, comprehensive agreement that breaks down trade barriers to a huge food and drink market and in areas like digital trade and renewable energy which will deliver well-paid jobs in all parts of the UK,” she said in a statement.

Deals would make a significant improvement in the relationship between Britain and EU members. Each year, the EU meets with the GCC for economic cooperation. But 18 years of negotiations on a trade agreement stalled.

Since 2015, the GCC hasn’t implemented a free-trade agreement and Britain didn’t set a timeline for negotiations.

Britain already maintains close strategic and military relations with the Gulf Countries. Trade with them was valued at more than 30Billion Pounds in 2020.

The pursuit of formal trade deals could raise political questions about who post-Brexit Britain wants to do business with.

Long-standing criticism has been levelled at the government by campaigners and lawmakers who claim that arms exports to Saudi Arabia of billions of pounds are used to violate Yemen’s human rights laws.

In 2020, the government stated that there wasn’t a risk of them being used in serious breaches of humanitarian law.