Saudi Arabia, South Korea agree to boost defence cooperation

Saudi Arabia and South Korea have agreed to boost cooperation in the field of defence, Anadolu news agency reported.

This came during a meeting held between the Saudi Defence Minister, Prince Khaled Bin Salman, and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup, at the Korean Ministry of National Defence in the capital, Seoul, according to two official sources.

The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in the military and defence fields and reviewed regional and international developments, according to a statement by the Saudi Ministry of Defence.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that this is the first visit of a Saudi defence minister to the Korean Ministry of Defence.

According to the same source, the two sides also agreed to conduct systematic and practical discussions on bilateral cooperation in defence and the arms industry.

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South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Chung Eui-yong, expected the ongoing negotiations on South Korea’s defence exports to Saudi Arabia to be concluded successfully, without giving further details.

According to Yonhap, Saudi Arabia is considering introducing the Korean Chongong 2 medium-range, surface-to-air missile system.

Saudi Arabia has in recent years increased interest in defence cooperation with several countries to enhance its security and that of the region, according to observers.