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.



UAE, Syria Foreign Ministers Discuss Bolstering Ties on UAE visit

A handout photo made available by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) shows United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani (L) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 06 January 2025. (WAM)
A handout photo made available by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) shows United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani (L) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 06 January 2025. (WAM)
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UAE, Syria Foreign Ministers Discuss Bolstering Ties on UAE visit

A handout photo made available by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) shows United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani (L) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 06 January 2025. (WAM)
A handout photo made available by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) shows United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani (L) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 06 January 2025. (WAM)

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed bolstering "brotherly" ties with Syria during the first official visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, Emirati state news agency WAM reported.

The two ministers also discussed the overall developments in Syria since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by opposition factions on Dec. 8.

The UAE's foreign minister reiterated the country's support for Syria's independence and sovereignty, WAM added.

Syria's Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, head of intelligence Anas Khattab and the UAE's minister of state for defense affairs, Mohammed Fadel al-Mazrouei, also attended the meeting.

The UAE is part of Shibani's second foreign tour, which earlier took him to Qatar and will also include a visit to Jordan. He said the visits aim to "support stability, security, economic recovery and build distinguished partnerships", according to his account on X.

Shibani made his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia last week, where Saudi officials discussed how best to support Syria's political transition.