Putin says nothing can hinder development of Russian-Saudi relations

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Saudi Arabia’s ruler Wednesday that nothing can prevent the development of their countries’ relations.

“While here in the region on a planned visit to the UAE, I took advantage of your invitation to meet with you and all the other friends we’ve been developing ties with for the past seven years,” Putin said during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.

Highlighting the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, Putin said that Russia and Saudi Arabia have “stable and very good” relations.

“Of course, it is very important for all of us to exchange information and assessments about what is happening in the region,” he said, defining their meeting as “timely.”

Putin also said that a visit by bin Salman to Moscow was planned but that “circumstances have made adjustments to these plans.” He went on to invite the Saudi crown prince to hold their next meeting in Russia, which he agreed to.

Bin Salman called Putin a “special guest” of the kingdom, noting that Russia and Saudi Arabia have many "common interests" and are working to achieve "stability and development both in the whole world and in the Middle East."

"Over the past few years, we have achieved great results in the process of bilateral cooperation, including in the fields of energy, agriculture, trade, investment and other areas," he said.

Earlier in the day, Putin held talks with his United Arab Emirates counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi amid a one-day regional visit to the Gulf. The Russian president’s visit to the region is his first since October 2019.