Saudi Arabia-Greece cooperation is a warning for Iran and Turkey -

Riyadh: The developments in the Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea region are gaining momentum. Saudi Arabia and Greece have established defence cooperation. According to this, Greece will be supplying Saudi Arabia with Patriot Air Defence System. The Gulf media claims that this cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Greece is warning bells for Iran and Turkey. The media is also pointing to the defence cooperation Greece established with Israel two days ago.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, and Defence Minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, visited Saudi Arabia two days ago. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met these Greek leaders. Whereas Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also held a special meeting with the Greek leaders. It was announced that economic and defence cooperation agreements were signed during the session. Defence Minister Panagiotopoulos said that this cooperation with Saudi Arabia is a major step taken by his country.

As per this agreement, Greece will be supplying the advanced Patriot Air Defence Systems to Saudi Arabia. The Greek Defence Minister informed that Greece would be providing the system to Saudi Arabia on a lease, and soon the systems will be deployed in Saudi Arabia. Defence Minister Panagiotopoulos claimed that this deployment of the Patriot Air Defence System would be necessary for the security of the oil projects in Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer. At this time, the Greek Defence Minister said that the terrorist organisation, Houthi rebels, is launching attacks on Saudi Arabian oil projects.

The analysts from the Gulf said that this cooperation established between Saudi Arabia and Greece is crucial. As of today, there is a US patriot system deployed in Saudi Arabia. But the new Biden administration has imposed a temporary ban on the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. International military analysts claim that the Biden administration and the US Congress are in no mood to lift this ban anytime soon. The Biden administration has also indicated withdrawal of the Patriot system from Saudi Arabia. In this scenario, the cooperation extended by Greece, in respect of Patriot, becomes essential. The analysts in the Gulf are claiming that this cooperation is also a warning for Iran, along with the Houthi rebels.

The Saudi Arabian-Greece cooperation is also being viewed against the background of the mounting Iranian threat and the expansionist Turkish policies in the Mediterranean Sea. The Gulf media is claiming that with this cooperation established with Greece, Saudi Arabia has also issued a warning to Turkey, preparing to deploy its military in Qatar. The media also points out that two months ago, Saudi Arabia established cooperation with Qatar, setting all the old differences aside. Moreover, Greece has also issued a warning to Turkey, with an association established with UAE and Israel, two days ago.