South Korea and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense research and development cooperation on Sunday in Riyadh, the Ministry of National Defense said, as the two countries seek to expand bilateral defense ties alongside Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 localization drive.

The agreement was signed during the World Defense Show by Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Saudi counterpart Khalid bin Salman, with South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development and Saudi defense research institutions designated as the implementing bodies. The MOU calls for cooperation in defense technology research, systems innovation and future-oriented defense capabilities, and establishes a