The military Chief of Staff of Saudi Arabia, Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, on Friday met with his Greek counterpart, Lt. Gen. Konstantinos Floros to discuss cooperation and joint work relations between the Kingdom and Greece.
Discussions during the meeting centered around defense, but also tackled issues of common interest.
Al-Ruwaili attended a flight demonstration by combat aircraft taking part in the “Falcon Eye 1” exercises at the Souda Air Force Base in Greece and met with the participants.
Saudi Royal Air Force (RSAF) F-15C aircraft and Hellenic Air Force F-16, Mirage 2000, and F-4 Phantom aircraft performed sorties and implemented training scenarios, including counter-insurgency and air support operations, and the destruction of ground targets.
Al-Ruwaili said that the RSAF’s involvement in the “Falcon Eye 1” exercise in Greece comes as part of King Salman’s eagerness to provide unlimited support for the development of the armed forces.
He said that the goal of the exercise is to exchange military expertise between Saudi Arabia and Greece to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. This will help raise the level of combat readiness for both forces, he added.
The commander of the RSAF group participating in the drill, Col. Pilot Abdulrahman Bin Saeed Al-Shihri, said that the combat readiness and mastery have been shown by the participants of the RSAF, whether pilots or ground crews, is a matter of pride that deserves everyone's praise.
He stressed that this would not have been possible without the support from the wise leadership, whether at the level of training and qualification or at the level of equipping and arming.