New Delhi: Army Chief General MM Naravane with Commander, Royal Saudi Armed Forces, Lt Gen Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair at his ceremonial reception, at South Block, in New Delhi.

Army Chief General MM Naravane on Tuesday held extensive talks with Commander of Royal Saudi Land Forces Lt Gen Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair with a focus on expanding bilateral defence and military ties. Lt Gen Al-Mutair was also accorded a guard of honour at the South Block lawns before the talks.

"Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mutair, Commander, Royal Saudi Land Forces, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called on General MM Naravane #COAS & discussed ways to further enhance the bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries," the Army tweeted.

The defence and security ties between India and Saudi Arabia have been on an upswing in the last few years.

The Chief of Army Staff visited Saudi Arabia in December 2020 in the first-ever visit by a head of the 1.3 million-strong Army to the strategically important Gulf nation.