National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias met with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia Prince Khalid bin Salman and discussed the extension of the presence of the Greek Patriot missiles in Saudi Arabia as well as the wider defence cooperation between Greece and Saudi Arabia.
“It is well known that Greece, with an array of ‘Patriot’ missiles, participates in the air defence of the Kingdom, but I must say that it also contributes to the wider energy security, because it protects the oil production facilities of Saudi Arabia, which are also important for Greece’s energy security,” Dendias said.
“We discussed the joint exercises between the armed forces of the Kingdom and the Hellenic Republic, but I also had the opportunity to invite Saudi Arabia to participate in the new ecosystem of innovation and defence industries and businesses that we are organising in Greece. I believe that there is a lot of ground for further tightening of our relations,” he added.
“We also discussed the broader situation in the Middle East, Hamas and the terrorist attacks against Israel, but also the need to normalise the situation as quickly as possible,” Dendias concluded.