Riyadh / New Delhi: In a significant development, Defence PSU Munitions Indian Limited (MIL) Defence has signed a contract for supply of artillery ammunition to Saudi Arabia. The deal was facilitated through MIL’s partner, Nadrah Company.
The order worth $ 225 million was inked on February 6 in the presence of Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, MIL CMD Ravi Kant, and Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, Governor of the General Authority of Military Industries, Saudi Arabia during the World Defence Show (WDS) 2024 at Riyadh. The deal will substantially add to MIL’s approximately Rs 400 crore worth export orders already in its books for supplying ammunitions just to the Middle Eastern countries.
On the sidelines of the WDS 2024, the MoS Defence held a meeting with Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to discuss various aspects of the bilateral defence cooperation.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement issued on February 7, said, “Ajay Bhatt also held talks with the Assistant Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia Dr Khaled Al-Bayari, with whom he discussed ways to further strengthen the long-standing and multi-faceted defence cooperation between the two countries.” The discussions centred around exploring avenues for collaboration in areas of mutual interest, including increasing the scope of joint training exercises, technology transfer and exchange of expertise.
The MoS, also held a meeting with the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Ohali to discuss the way ahead towards collaborating in varied areas of defence production, Research & Development, and niche technologies, the Defence Ministry informed.
According to the MoD, both sides in all discussions shared a deep understanding of the evolving security landscape and resolved to increase bilateral defence cooperation in multifarious sectors while also recognising the mutual benefits of a strong partnership in safeguarding regional security.
Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt expressed confidence that the India-Saudi Arabia partnership will continue to grow from strength to strength, contributing significantly to regional stability and global security.
Signalling growing defence cooperation between the two nations, India and Saudi Arabia held their first bilateral military exercise in Rajasthan this month. India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) policy and Riyadh’s ‘Vision 2030’ has a significant role to play in boosting technological exchanges between the two nations.
