British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace received Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Araia at the Royal Cavalry Guard Square in the British capital, London, where an official reception ceremony was held in honor of the Saudi Minister of Defense during which the Saudi royal anthem was played, and the guard of honor was reviewed. Prince Khalid held a meeting at the headquarters of the British Ministry of Defense with the British Secretary of Defense, during which they reviewed the strategic and historical relations between the two friendly countries and discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation in the military and defense field, in addition to discussing a number of issues of common interest, and the latest developments at the regional and international levels. Also, the Saudi Minister of Defense and the British Secretary of Defense signed the defense cooperation plan, which aims to develop the capabilities of the Saudi Ministry of Defense, localize military industries, and strengthen the partnership between the two countries in the military and defense field. The meeting and signing of the defense cooperation plan was attended by Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom; Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, and a number of senior military and civilian officials. From the British side, they were attended by Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston, the Chief of Air Staff of the British Air Force; the British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Neil Crompton; the British Military Attaché to the Kingdom, Brigadier F.A.J. Piggott, and a number of officials. It is worth mentioning that the Saudi Minister of Defense and his accompanying delegation arrived yesterday in the United Kingdom on an official visit during which he will meet with a number of officials to discuss relations between the two friendly countries, strengthen bilateral cooperation in the military and defense field, and review issues of common interest at the regional and international levels.
