On Thursday, 09 November 2023, the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, made the following statement after his meeting with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman, in Riyadh:

“I had the opportunity to meet with my Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Khalid bin Salman. We first discussed the extension of the Hellenic presence in the Kingdom. As you know, Greece contributes to the Kingdom’s air defence with one Patriot missile array, but also contributes to the broader energy security, since it protects the oil production facilities of Saudi Arabia which are important for the energy security of Greece.

Furthermore, we discussed our broader defence cooperation, joint exercises between the Armed Forced of the Kingdom and the Hellenic Republic, and I had the opportunity to invite Saudi Arabia to participate in the new innovation and defence industry and enterprise ecosystem we are organising in Greece. believe there is great potential for further enhancement of our relations.

Finally, we discussed the broader situation in the Middle East, Hamas and the terrorist attacks against Israel, as well as the need for things to return to normal as soon as possible”.

Source: www.mod.mil.gr