Defence Minister A.K. Antony has left on a two day visit to Saudi Arabia. He is accompanied by a high level delegation comprising the three deputy Chiefs of Army, Air Force and Navy.

Mr. Antony will interact with the representatives of Indian community at Indian Embassy in Riyadh today. He is scheduled to meet his counterpart, the Saudi Defence Minister Prince Salman-bin-Abdul Aziz Al-Saud in Riyadh on tomorrow.

This is the first ever visit by an Indian Defence Minister to the Saudi Kingdom. Defence cooperation between the two countries includes training exchanges, ship visits and high-level visits by senior officials.

In the wake of recent developments in the region, the two countries will be looking forward to further expand cooperation in defence, trade and regional affairs. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Saudi Arabia last year.

The relations between India and Saudi Arabia have grown up considerably over the years with the cooperation in regional affairs and trade. Saudi Arabia is one of the largest suppliers of oil to India, which is one of the top trading partners and investor there. The visit is expected to give a boost to the defence ties and mutual understanding between the two countries.