Saudi and Russian officials Tuesday announced the signing of military cooperation pact between the two countries.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman announced the agreement via Twitter, stating it would aid in "Developing joint military cooperation between the two countries." In a second tweet, he elaborated on his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu, in which the pair explored ways to "Strengthen the military and defense cooperation between our two countries."
"We aim for a progressive development of cooperation in military and military-technical fields on the entire spectrum of issues that pose mutual interest," Shoigu said, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Russia is the world's second-largest arms exporter aside from the United States while Saudi Arabia is the number one state purchaser of military hardware.
Closer to Afghanistan, Russia is flexing its military muscle in neighboring Tajikistan.
A member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military bloc of former Soviet Republics, the government in Dushanbe requested Russian aid to contain security threats and handle refugees following the Taliban's conquest of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan and most of the border territories.
In early August, Tajikistan played host to joint drills between its military and those of Russia and Uzbekistan aimed at preparing for potential security threats from Taliban-led Afghanistan.
Monday, August 30, 2021
Russia, Saudi Arabia Sign Military Pact amid Chaos in Afghanistan
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