Prince Salman was in Japan from 18-21 last February, hopefully to deepen bilateral cooperation "in various fields." On February 26, India and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to strengthen co-operation in military training, logistics supplies and exchange of defense-related information. On last January 23, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia signed a defense cooperation agreement, the first of its kind.
While a strong Saudi-Pakistan defense partnership has existed for long, it has been upgraded recently. Princes Salman and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal arrived in Pakistan on February 15. Pakistani army chief General Raheel Sharif was in Saudi Arabia earlier. Director of South Asia Studies Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute, Washington DC, Tufail Ahmad, wrote on this March 11 that "the upswing in the relationship marks a qualitative change," hinting that the kingdom could be seeking Pakistan's nuclear capabilities to "counter a nuclear-capable Iran" despite Islamabad's denial, which "is not reliable." The kingdom is moving "to transform itself as a regional military power," Sharif wrote.
On this March 14, the Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia has given $1.5 billion (Dh5.5 billion) to Pakistan. In February a senior Pakistani intelligence official told the Financial Times that Saudi Arabia was seeking "a large number of [Pakistani] troops to support its campaign along the Yemeni border and for internal security." The official confirmed that Pakistan's agreement, during Prince Salman's visit, to support the establishment of a "transitional governing body" in Syria was an important aspect of the deal.
On this March 5, the kingdom led two other members of the six-member GCC, namely the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar, risking the survival of the GCC.
Hunting two French and Lebanese birds with one shot, the kingdom early last January pledged a $3 billion royal grant, estimated to be two-time the entire military budget of Lebanon, to buy French weapons for the Lebanese Army.
The Saudi multi-billion dollar support to the change of guards in Egypt early last July and the kingdom's subscription to Egypt's make or break campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) inside and outside the country following the ouster of the MB's former president Mohammed Morsi reveal a much more important Saudi strategic and security unsigned accord with Egypt's new rulers.
On the outset of the so-called "Arab Spring," the kingdom also bailed out Bahrain and the Sultanate of Omen with more multi-billion petrodollars to buy the loyalty of their population.
More multi-billion petrodollars were squandered inside the country to bribe the population against joining the sweeping popular Arab protests.
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