The participating team from the Paratroopers Units and the Special Security Forces of the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) arrived in Greece on Monday (photo) to participate in the special operations exercise which was held Tuesday with the Greek Special Operations Forces.

The exercise aims at enhancing joint cooperation, exchanging experiences and concepts, and raising the level of combat readiness to confront challenges in the region, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

This exercise includes the participation of Emirati and Egyptian Special Forces, alongside the Greek Special Operations Forces.

Last December, the UAE and Egypt participated in a military exercise with Greece aimed at deterring Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean, although Turkey’s relations with both Gulf states have since shown signs of improvement.

Defense ties have been established between Saudi Arabia and Greece. In April, Greece agreed to lend its US-made Patriot missile air defense system to Saudi Arabia. The deal aimed to help Saudi defend itself against attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Al-Monitor reported.

Relatedly, Egypt and Greece’s ally Cyprus also concluded a multi-day training exercise on Sunday, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Defense.