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.



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”