Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud may visit Russia in the near future.
"Yes, we are preparing such a visit. There are common themes and issues that are of interest for both countries," TASS reports.
The Russian President will have a bilateral meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman today. According to the source, among other issues they could discuss the details of the upcoming visit.
"The visit is extremely important and will make clear a number of future prospects and joint efforts to boost strategic relations, which are based on a firm foundation and mutual respect, to produce a paradigm shift and commence a new era in relations between the two countries," Saudi ambassador to Russia, Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, said yesterday.
The deputy head of the Council of the Russian Diplomats Association, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Andrey Baklanov, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the restoration of a normal format of relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia is long overdue.
In this regard, the diplomat, who headed the Russian Embassy in Riyadh in 2000-2005, called for harnessing the agreements reached between the former King of Saudi Arabia and Vladimir Putin in 2003, "including the implementation of the provisions of the agreement on cooperation in the energy sphere."
According to him, currently Russia and Saudi Arabia have much in common on the international agenda. "Firstly, there is an extremely unstable situation due to falling energy prices, which requires our participation in the International Energy Forum and a number of other mechanisms," the diplomat said.
"The second aspect is the extremely difficult situation in the Arab world, the proliferation of crises and major armed clashes, including in neighboring Yemen and Saudi Arabia," Andrei Baklanov concluded.
