Baird to tour Middle East, focusing on security and trade Foreign Minister John Baird is headed for a long trip to the Middle East, visiting not only Israel and the West Bank but also Jordan and several key Gulf nations. The journey comes only days after U.S. President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State, John Kerry, made their own journeys to the region earlier this month - where Mr. Obama delivered a speech in Israel about the need for peace. Mr. Baird's own visits to Israel and the West Bank will allow him to gauge the response to that effort to revive a peace process, but crisis in Syria, its effects on neighbours, the influence of Iran - and trade - are high on his agenda, officials said. "As part of our principled foreign policy, we recognize that prosperity and security are intrinsically linked," Mr. Baird said in a statement issued Thursday. This link will be front and centre in discussions with our friends and allies who deal every day with the shadow of uncertainty cast by the Syrian crisis and Iranian belligerence. The trip will include a first stop in Jordan, a country struggling with a massive influx of refugees from Syria and a weak economy that have raised concerns about the stability of the government. He will then visit key Gulf players - the United Arab Emirates and Qatar - moneyed nations that have played increasingly important roles in conflicts, including providing backing to opposition groups in Syria. He will also stop in Bahrain, where the monarchy is facing vocal opposition and protests. Trade will also play an important role in the trip, Mr. Baird signalled, noting that there are now 40,000 Canadians working in the United Arab Emirates. Canadian companies are heavily involved in the region's oil industry, for example. In addition to the Middle East, Mr. Baird will travel to Cyprus, which is struggling to emerge from a financial crisis with a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Not surprisingly, Mr. Baird's Middle East tour is expected to close with meetings with senior Israeli officials - the Harper government has made itself a staunch ally of Israel on the global stage. But Mr. Baird will also visit Palestinian officials in the West Bank for the first time since he played a vocal role in opposing the Palestinian Authority's bid for observer state status at the United Nations - which upset relations between Ottawa and the administration of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.