JEDDAH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Barley reviewed areas of bilateral cooperation with a focus on the field of defense and development opportunities available in both countries. The two leaders also discussed important regional and global developments. The Saudi crown prince and the French minister also signed an agreement to protect classified information. Senior Saudi and French officials attended the meeting. The two countries have a strong history of bilateral trade relations within the defense, infrastructure and aerospace sectors. Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls signed €10 billion worth of contracts in October 2015 in the fields of aerospace and military contracts on behalf of Airbus, transport, energy, health and food markets with French companies. France is also a major arms supplier to the Kingdom. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited France earlier this year. The three-day royal visit culminated in various agreements between the two countries. Saudi Arabia and France agreed to major cultural exchanges and companies from both sides also signed draft deals worth $18 billion. The agreements cover sectors including petrochemicals, water treatment, tourism, health, agricultural and cultural activities, and include a $9 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and Total to build a petrochemical complex in the Kingdom. The plant will be built in Jubail, and is expected to produce 8,000 new jobs in the Kingdom.