JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia signed on Tuesday a defense deal with Greece, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

As part of the deal, Greece will lend a Patriot air defense system to the Kingdom.

The US-made Patriot system will be used to protect critical energy facilities in the Kingdom.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan met with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos in Riyadh.

The Patriot is considered one of the best anti-missile systems in the world. Its radar can cover an area of up to 170 km, while it can engage targets in a range of up to 150 km.

In February 2021, Dendias said the two countries may be close to signing a Status of Forces Agreement that will allow Greek military personnel to be stationed in Saudi Arabia for as long as the Patriot battery remains in the Kingdom.

The Greek foreign minister revealed that he had discussed the Patriot’s transport and the enhancement of bilateral defense ties with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan in January 2020 when the latter visited Athens. — Agencies