News / Russia

Kremlin says Russia-Saudi military cooperation not directed at 3rd party

Friday, 06 October 2017 3:20 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 06 October 2017 3:33 PM ]

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attend a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on October 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has briefed reporters about the peaceful content of recent talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

Salman arrived in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Wednesday on the first ever visit by a Saudi monarch to Russia.

The Saudi monarch, who is heading a high-level delegation on a four-day trip to Moscow, met with Putin on Thursday to discuss buying arms, stabilizing global oil prices as well as the conflict in Syria.

The two leaders discussed military cooperation during their talks, Peskov said on Friday.

"The improvement of military cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia ... is not directed against a third party and we believe it's groundless to express concern about this issue," Peskov said, adding, "Work on this will be continued."

The Kremlin spokesman also said the "state of affairs in the oil markets and Russian-Saudi cooperation in the interests of stabilizing the situation on these markets were touched upon."

Media reported on Thursday that Russia’s Rosoboronexport, the state organization for exporting military equipment, and Saudi Arabian Military Industries had signed a memorandum on the purchase and localization of military products.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters that Saudi Arabia was interested in buying S-400 missile system, which has not been finalized yet.

PressTV-S Arabia to purchase Russian S-400 missile system

Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

In reaction to the deal on the missile system, Washington expressed concern. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia purchased tens of billions of dollars' worth of military equipment from the United States.

Russia and Saudi Arabia are currently at loggerheads over the conflict in Syria. Moscow has backed Syria’s legitimate fight against terror and has even deployed boots on the ground. Riyadh, however, has openly backed groups that have used violence to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

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