Saudi Crown Prince Hopes Kingdom Self-sufficiency in Military Industries to Reach up to 50%

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman at the Defense Ministry in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman at the Defense Ministry in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Hopes Kingdom Self-sufficiency in Military Industries to Reach up to 50%

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman at the Defense Ministry in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman at the Defense Ministry in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman met on Tuesday with newly named Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and a number of leaderships at the Defense Ministry in Jeddah.

Crown Prince Mohammed expressed his gratitude to the dedicated efforts of the Ministry personnel, praising the great progress achieved in the program aimed at developing it.

He noted the increase in the internal self-sufficiency of the military industries from 2% to 15%, hoping it will reach 50% under the command and supervision of the Minister of Defense and the Ministry personnel.

He stressed that the Defense Ministry holds a special status for him as he acted as its minister for several years.

He said he looked forwards to witnessing more progress under the leadership of Prince Khalid.

For his part, Prince Khalid underscored the achievements made by the ministry under its development program and the future achievements as it continues to implement it as envisioned by Crown Prince Mohammed and through his support.

The meeting was attended by the commanders of the Ministry of Defense and commanders of armed forces branches.



Syrian Foreign Minister in Doha to Meet Senior Qatari Officials

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not pictured), after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (Reuters)
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not pictured), after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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Syrian Foreign Minister in Doha to Meet Senior Qatari Officials

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not pictured), after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (Reuters)
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (not pictured), after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. (Reuters)

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, appointed by the country's new rulers, arrived in Qatar on Sunday to meet senior Qatari officials, a Qatari official told Reuters.

The officials include Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi.

Syrian official news agency SANA confirmed the arrival of the Syrian delegation, which includes the country's Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and head of intelligence Anas Khattab.

The Syrian minister's visit to Qatar is his second foreign trip less than a month since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by opposition fighters on Dec. 8.

Al-Shibani is expected to also visit the United Arab Emirates and Jordan this week to "support stability, security, economic recovery and build distinguished partnerships," according to his account on X.

He embarked on his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, where Saudi officials discussed how best to support Syria's political transition.