Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Fayyad Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, who is on a visit to Greece, has met with his Greek counterpart Lt. Gen. Konstantinos Floros.

During the meeting, they discussed joint cooperation and bilateral relations, especially in defense and military affairs.

Al-Ruwaili also watched maneuvers of the "Falcon Eye 1" joint drill which is taking place at Souda Airbase in Crete, Greece, and met with the participants of the drill.

As part of the joint exercise, Saudi Royal Air Force F-15C, Greek Air Force F-16, Mirage 2000 and the F-4 Phantom fighter jets are carrying out their air sorties over the Mediterranean and implementing several training scenarios, including offensive and defensive counter operations, air support operations, air maneuvers and the destruction of ground targets.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Ruwaili stressed that the participation of the Saudi Royal Air Force in the drill in Greece during the current month stems from the keenness and unlimited support from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.

Al-Ruwaili said that the drill aims to exchange the military expertise between Saudi Arabia and Greece in order to support bonds of cooperation between the forces of the two countries which will contribute to raising the level of the combat readiness for both forces.

He expressed his pride in the participation of the armed forces around the world with all friendly and fraternal countries, stressing the importance of these drills in maintaining security and stability.

For his part, Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force Group participating in the drill Col. Pilot Abdulrahman Bin Saeed Al-Shihri said that the combat readiness and mastery which have been shown by the participants of the Saudi Royal Air Force, 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.

The meeting and the drill maneuvers were attended by the Saudi ambassador to Greece, the delegation accompanying the Chief of the General Staff, and senior officers of the Greek armed forces.