The fourth conference of the Working Group of the “Defence and Security Committee” of the Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation between Greece – Greece – Saudi Arabia concluded in Riyadh on Thursday, 5 November 2026, with the signing of the 2027 Military Cooperation Programme and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cyber security.
The Greek delegation taking part in the talks included representatives from the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the National Cybersecurity Authority, and was led by a representative of the Ministry of National Defence.
In addition to the signing of the two bilateral agreements, significant progress was made on almost all of the 19 initiatives (initiative cards) that form the core of the two countries’ strategic relationship, including in areas such as specialist training, military intelligence, health services and citizen protection.
Meanwhile, at the initiative of the Greek side, an industrial cooperation day was held alongside the Working Group conference, as part of initiative card 10 on the defence industry. It featured bilateral (B2B) meetings between representatives of the two countries’ defence sectors.
The contacts focused on developing joint technology programmes and production chains, as well as strengthening cooperation between companies in the sector, with the aim, among other things, of building meaningful networks for the Greek defence industry in the Saudi Arabian market.
Deputy Minister of National Defence Thanasis Davakis said:
“The Greek mission to Saudi Arabia achieved all the objectives we had set for it. These objectives concerned matters such as signing—for the first time in years—a Military Cooperation Programme for the new year, signing a memorandum between the Greek National Cybersecurity Authority and its counterpart in the Kingdom, and making progress on the joint initiative cards for our strategic cooperation.
Saudi Arabia is our strategic partner. The Working Group of the ‘Defence and Security Committee’ of the Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation and the Initiative Cards are the institutional tool for advancing and implementing this relationship on the ground.
At the same time, building networks for the Greek defence industry and securing its presence in the markets of a country with which we maintain strong defence cooperation ties is a key priority.
I would like to thank my colleagues and the members of the mission for their efforts over many months to ensure the talks were thoroughly prepared and conducted.
I believe we have taken several steps forward”.