Putin congratulates Prince of Saudi Arabia on Eid al-Fitr

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince and Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud have agreed to step up bilateral contacts, the Kremlin’s press service said on Friday following a telephone conversation between the two leaders.

"The conversation was friendly, constructive and substantive. It was agreed to step up relations in specific areas of cooperation," the Kremlin stressed.

The presidential press service said that the Russian head of state "congratulated the leadership and people of Saudi Arabia on the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan."

Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince discussed several key topics on the bilateral agenda, with an emphasis on further expanding mutually beneficial ties in trade, economic cooperation, investment and energy, the press service said.

The conversation also touched upon coordination in the international arena. "There was an exchange of views on various aspects of the situation in the Middle East in the context of efforts being exerted with the participation of Russia and Saudi Arabia for resolving crises in the region," the Kremlin said.

"The parties expressed satisfaction with the level of coordination at OPEC Plus aimed at ensuring the global oil market stability," the statement reads. Prospects for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and BRICS were also considered.