AGL 40.20 Increased By ▲ 0.20 (0.5%)
AIRLINK 127.31 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (0.21%)
BOP 6.63 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.6%)
CNERGY 4.51 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
DCL 8.62 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.82%)
DFML 41.91 Increased By ▲ 0.47 (1.13%)
DGKC 87.70 Increased By ▲ 0.85 (0.98%)
FCCL 32.70 Increased By ▲ 0.42 (1.3%)
FFBL 65.21 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (0.63%)
FFL 10.33 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.78%)
HUBC 109.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-0.06%)
HUMNL 14.70 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.14%)
KEL 5.12 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.39%)
KOSM 7.55 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (1.21%)
MLCF 41.85 Increased By ▲ 0.47 (1.14%)
NBP 59.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.71 (-1.18%)
OGDC 193.90 Increased By ▲ 3.80 (2%)
PAEL 28.27 Increased By ▲ 0.44 (1.58%)
PIBTL 7.71 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-1.53%)
PPL 152.09 Increased By ▲ 2.03 (1.35%)
PRL 26.53 Decreased By ▼ -0.35 (-1.3%)
PTC 16.11 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.25%)
SEARL 86.02 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.02%)
TELE 7.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-1.17%)
TOMCL 35.43 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.06%)
TPLP 8.12 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
TREET 16.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.31 (-1.89%)
TRG 52.85 Decreased By ▼ -0.44 (-0.83%)
UNITY 26.40 Increased By ▲ 0.24 (0.92%)
WTL 1.26 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 9,958 Increased By 74.7 (0.76%)
BR30 30,930 Increased By 329.5 (1.08%)
KSE100 93,911 Increased By 555.3 (0.59%)
KSE30 29,097 Increased By 166.3 (0.57%)

Germany's defence minister was in Saudi Arabia on Thursday aiming to conclude a training deal for Saudi military officers, the embassy said. Ursula von der Leyen held talks with her Saudi counterpart, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on boosting the "excellent bilateral relations" between the two countries, the mission added.
"In addition to that, the visit aims to finalise the talks on enhanced cooperation in the training sector. Beginning from next year, the German Defence College will host several young officers and staff from the Saudi military," the embassy said in a statement.
Von der Leyen is the latest German official to visit Saudi Arabia this year, reflecting "a period of intensified exchange" between the two states, ambassador Dieter Haller said.
The defence minister, who leaves the kingdom on Friday, belongs to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, which governs in coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD).
Sigmar Gabriel, the SPD chief who is also vice-chancellor, in January warned that Berlin could review military exports to Saudi Arabia. The caution followed the mass execution in Saudi Arabia of 47 people convicted of terrorism, including Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Germany has refrained from selling the Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle and other offensive military weapons to Saudi Arabia but has shipped millions of euros worth of so-called defensive military gear.
Exports last year included patrol boats, all-terrain vehicles, aerial refuelling equipment, drones and parts for combat aircraft and armoured vehicles, according to the German news agency DPA. Saudi Arabia is the world's third-biggest defence spender.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2016

Comments

Comments are closed.