Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs, received Wednesday, in his office in Abu Dhabi (photo), Saudi Arabia’s Chief of General Staff, Lt. General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, and his delegation.

The meeting was attended by Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Matar Salem Al Dhaheri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, and several officers and officials from the Ministry.

During the meeting, Al Bowardi welcomed Al Ruwaili, and both sides discussed the historic and strategic bilateral ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia and ways of reinforcing them, to achieve their mutual interests.

They also discussed the efforts to develop their overall cooperation, most notably in military and defense areas, Emirates news agency WAM reported.

Thereafter, they discussed the joint efforts to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and ways of supporting the international efforts to advance to the recovery stage.

They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern.

For his part, Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al-Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, also received Wednesday the visiting Saudi Chief of General Staff Lt. General Fayyad bin Hamid Al-Ruwaili, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them, particularly in the military and defense fields. A number of issues of common interest to the two countries were also discussed.

The meeting was attended by a number of senior officers of the two sides.