Washington. January 11. U.S. Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Anthony Tata and Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud agreed during a meeting in Riyadh to expand relations and ways to strengthen defense cooperation, in particular, to counter Iran, the Pentagon said.
"The parties agreed to deepen U.S.-Saudi defense relations and explored ways to advance and strengthen comprehensive defense cooperation to maintain regional peace and stability," the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.
It notes that " to this end, they signed a defense cooperation plan that establishes new and existing areas of cooperation."
"Tata emphasized the strength of the defence partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, especially in light of threats from Iran. He expressed gratitude to the kingdom for its willingness to share responsibility for supporting American troops, " the Pentagon informs.