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Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening defence cooperation following a courtesy visit by the Kingdom's Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Yousef bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting focused on strengthening the long-standing bilateral relationship between both countries and expanding military-to-military cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, welcomed the ambassador and expressed appreciation for the visit, describing Saudi Arabia as a valued partner. He stressed the importance of sustaining and broadening existing defence collaboration to enhance the professional capacity and operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
General Oluyede noted that closer cooperation would further strengthen bilateral ties and support efforts to address evolving security challenges.
In his remarks, Ambassador Al-Balawi described Nigeria as an important partner in Africa and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to strengthening relations with the country.
He said the Kingdom was ready to deepen engagement, particularly in the defence and security sectors, through stronger institutional and professional collaboration between the armed forces of both nations.
Both sides agreed that enhanced defence cooperation would contribute to tackling shared security concerns while promoting peace, stability and regional security.
The Chief of Defence Staff thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its continued goodwill towards Nigeria and expressed optimism that the discussions would translate into concrete areas of collaboration.
The visit underscored the commitment of Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to advancing their bilateral partnership and promoting shared interests in defence, peace and security.
