“This is reflected by the collaboration between Advanced Electronics Company (AEC) and French company Thales,” Besancenot said following a full presentation by AEC President and CEO Ghassan Shibl about the Saudi firm, followed by a factory and repair center tour.

AEC is an economic offset program company and the Kingdom's single biggest player in the defense industry with sales of SR1.3 billion in 2009. Thales is a global technology leader in the defense, security, aerospace and transport market. It generated revenues of 12.9 billion euros ($12 billion) last year.

The visit of the French envoy was focused on AEC's current and future electronics manufacturing and repair activities. He was accompanied by Olivier Badard, president of Thales Middle East and Western Asia.

Shibl expressed happiness that the French envoy and Badard could visit AEC. “We are proud to host Ambassador Besancenot at our facility and even more proud of the fruitful cooperation between AEC and Thales, one of the world's leaders in advanced electronics,” he said.

For his part, Badard said: “One of Thales's key success factors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is our strong ongoing commitment to technology and knowledge transfer, as illustrated through our long-term strategic cooperation with AEC.”

He said AEC started manufacturing radio systems in the Kingdom. “Thanks to unprecedented technology transfer in the region between Thales and AEC, activities such as manufacturing, assembling, integration, repairing and maintenance of optronic systems are now performed locally by AEC,” he said.

Badard said Thales, with Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), will deliver a comprehensive technology and integration package regarding the North-South Railway project.

“This includes telecommunications, security and advanced signaling and integration services with the largest single implementation of the European Train Control System (ETCS) anywhere in the world,” he said.