Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud received Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

The two sides reviewed bilateral relations and ways of strengthening defense cooperation, in addition to regional developments in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

This new meeting comes after the Malaysian Minister’s earlier visit to Riyadh in July 2016.

He then met with the Kingdom’s First Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef.

He also met with the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, and was granted an audience with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

“This working visit augurs well for bilateral relations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia as it will help boost efforts to further enhance and strengthen existing bilateral relations and cooperation between both countries,” said Hishammuddin at the time.

During his audience with the Saudi King, Hishammuddin discussed issues of strategic importance to both countries as well as current and emerging global security trends.

He and Prince Muhammad also explored ways to boost bilateral relations in all fields.

In his meeting with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Hishammuddin reaffirmed the strong ties between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in the area of defense.

“It is our great hope that these strong ties, built on equal partnership and mutual trust, will lead to mutual benefits for both our nations especially in terms of maintaining regional peace and stability,” he said.

In January 2016, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which aims to strengthen defense collaboration, specifically in the fields of science, technology and industry.