Riyadh interested in closer cooperation with Moscow - Russian diplomat

MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. Moscow has repeatedly said it is ready to joint work with Saudi Arabia to find mutually acceptable solutions to crisis situations in the Middle East and Riyadh is also interested in expanded cooperation with Russia, Russian president’s special envoy for the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, said in an interview with the Russian View magazine published on Monday. "That is true; Russia and Saudi Arabia maintain close dialogue on the most pressing issues of the regional agenda on a regular basis," he said. "Taking in consideration the role played by the Kingdom in the Arab and Muslim world, it would be extremely difficult to ensure lasting peace in the hotspots of the region without involving Saudi Arabia in the international efforts to settle the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East." "Moscow has repeatedly stated that it remains ready and open to working together with Saudi Arabian colleagues on searching mutually acceptable ways to settle the Syrian crisis, stopping violence in Yemen and stabilizing the situation in Iraq, Libya and Palestine," the Russian diplomat noted. "We know that the Saudi Arabia shares this commitment. The Kingdom appreciates our principled and unswerving position on Palestinian-Israeli settlement. We share views on many issues of the way the international relations system should develop." Moscow and Riyadh, in his words, think that "the conversation between President Putin and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on the margins of the St Petersburg Economic Forum, and their recent meeting in Sochi on 11 October are important events that mark the beginning of a new stage in the development of Russia-Saudi relations in various spheres. These are primarily such areas as investment, nuclear power, agriculture, oil and gas complex." "To our opinion, a vital point is that this time the Saudi side displays an interest in deepening its cooperation with Russia without demanding that we should ‘adjust’ our policy in the Middle East, as it used to do in the most recent years," Bogdanov said. "We expect that the new positive approaches of the Saudi partners will be supported by practical steps. As far as we are concerned, we are prepared to do our own part of the process." "There are definitely prerequisites for joint political work. For one, our unequivocal support of the Arab Peace Initiative put forward by the Saudi leadership in 2002," he underscored. Read more