Defense chief discusses arms cooperation with Saudi nat'l guard minister

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, left, holds talks with Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi minister of the national guard, in Riyadh, Monday (local time). Courtesy of Seoul's defense ministry

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has held talks with Abdullah bin Bandar Al Saud, the Saudi minister of the national guard, to discuss ways to deepen their cooperation in the defense and arms industry, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The meeting took place Monday on the margins of the World Defense Show, a major defense exhibition under way in Riyadh through Thursday.

In the talks, Ahn noted that both sides are in the stage of establishing a firm partnership and called for further advancing their bilateral ties in a mutually beneficial manner.

In response, the Saudi minister called for expanding defense cooperation in areas ranging from personnel exchanges to military education and strengthening their momentum for cooperation in the arms industry, according to the ministry.

Ahn also met officials from small to midsize Korean firms attending the defense show and pledged support measures to boost their exports, such as strengthening the promotion of Korean defense products and accelerating trade approval procedures.

Nearly 40 Korean companies are taking part in the biennial defense exhibition this year as Korea seeks to boost defense exports to become the world's fourth-largest arms exporter by 2030.