The lecture took place at the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.
Sir John Jenkins joined the FCO in 1980 and after studying Arabic at SOAS and elsewhere has served mainly in the Middle East and South East Asia. His first posting was to Abu Dhabi.
He has been British Ambassador to four countries, including Syria and Iraq. He was also the British Consul General in Jerusalem and the United Kingdom Special Representative to the Libyan National Transitional Council.
He was Director for the Middle East and North Africa in the FCO between 2007 and 2009. He took up his appointment as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in June 2012.