Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of the General Staff, opened Sunday the First Saudi International Maritime Forum in the presence of a number of leaders and heads of concerned bodies in the marine environment and navies of sisterly and friendly countries.

 The Forum is being organized by the Saudi Royal Navy Forces and will run from 24 to 26 November 2019, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

 In his opening speech, the Chief of the General Staff praised the patronage of HRH Crown Prince of the Forum. He pointed out that the Forum entitled “The importance of Securing strategic sea routes”, discusses ways to secure these routes, and how to deal with the ongoing threats and their impact on the global economy, and ensure the safety of sea routes.

 In another development, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman received in Riyadh last week South Korea’s National Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo.

 HRH the Crown Prince and National Defense Minister of South Korea held a meeting in which they reviewed ways of enhancing cooperation between the Kingdom and South Korea in the field of defense.

 During the meeting, they affirmed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in serving international and regional security and stability.

The meeting was attended by Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense; a number of senior officials and the South Korean National Defense Minister's accompanying delegation.