The Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Dendias, completed their joint visit to Riyadh and Riz yesterday, Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

The Ministers first met with the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Nayef bin Falah Al Hajraf, with whom Mr. Dendias signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the Hellenic Republic on consultations on issues of mutual interest.

A joint meeting was then held with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Fahran, and a Status of Forces Agreement was signed between the two countries. The contacts ended in Jeddah with the meeting of the Greek Ministers with the Crown Prince, Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Also read: Greece sends Patriot and Air Force personnel in Saudi Arabia

After completing his visit to Saudi Arabia, the Minister of National Defence stated the following:

“It is a great pleasure to pay a brief but substantial visit to Saudi Arabia. Greece and Saudi Arabia are linked by a strong friendship, they have common concerns about current geostrategic challenges and a common vision for the future. Saudi Arabia is a pillar of stability in the Gulf region. It is our desire to work together to defend peace, stability and prosperity in the wider region of the south-eastern Mediterranean.

In the modern geostrategic framework, the mutually beneficial defence cooperation of the two countries will improve the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and will contribute to meeting common challenges.

In this light, a battery of the “PATRIOT” weapon system of our Air Force will be deployed in the near future and will operate from the territory of Saudi Arabia, in the framework of the Multinational Activated Air Defence Plan for the protection of critical energy infrastructure against terrorist threats.

I also express my satisfaction for the excellent cooperation of the Armed Forces of our countries, with the most recent example being the joint training between the Saudi and Greek Air Forces in Crete last March.

Finally, I would like to thank the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their very warm hospitality from the bottom of my heart.”

Also read: Yemen | Houthis claim to have hit Saudi Arabia’s Patriot anti-missile system – VIDEO

Source: ANA MPA