Saudi deputy crown prince meets heads of US military companies

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense held at his residence here meetings on Friday with several companies specializing in military equipment, Saudi Press Agency reported.

He met separately with the presidents and staff of Boeing, Raytheon International and Lockheed Martin International. The meetings dealt with Saudi Vision 2030 that aims to localize military industries and industrial and technological activities, training services and support services.

The companies welcomed the Kingdom’s ambitious programs and expressed their readiness to participate with an effective role in these programs.

In another development, the CEO of Middle East Policies Council in the US Dr. Thomas Matir stressed the importance of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s current visit to the US.

In a statement to SPA he said: “The visit by the Deputy Crown Prince during which he met with US President Barack Obama and a number of American officials and investors is in the interest of boosting the Saudi-American partnership and upgrading it to higher levels so as to express the strength of the alliance between the two countries.”

He further said that the importance and vitality of the visit lies in the discussions on intensifying defense relations between the Kingdom and the US, the exchange of intelligence information, cooperation in the field of combating terror, aside from bolstering cooperation in resolving the current regional conflicts that threaten the joint interests of the two countries.

Apart from this, he drew attention to the fact that it is high time for American investors to shed light on the courageous and intelligent plans for reforming the economy in Saudi Arabia on the basis of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020. This will make Saudi Arabia the most important power regionally and globally.

He expressed his belief that the American decision-makers, legislators and big businessmen now understand very well the importance of raising the level of partnership with Saudi Arabia after their meeting with the Deputy Crown Prince and listening to him on the Kingdom’s economic plans and programs that are in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on June 18, 2016.