Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) expressed concern about the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza on Wednesday, emphasising the importance of enabling international humanitarian organisations to play an active part in providing humanitarian and relief aid to Palestinians.
On Wednesday, Putin made working visits to the UAE and Saudi Arabia — his first trip to the region since the conflict in Ukraine began in February 2022.
Putin, MbS Discuss Crisis in Ukraine, Gaza
Putin and MbS met at the Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh to discuss bilateral relations. Putin also suggested that the region’s situation be discussed, given the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and its repercussions. In addition, he extended an invitation to MbS to visit Russia, which the Crown Prince accepted.
According to a joint statement released by both the countries, “the two sides discussed developments in the situation in Palestine, expressed their deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and stressed the need to stop military operations in the Palestinian territories, and the need to protect civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.”
🇷🇺🇸🇦 President Vladimir #Putin met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) December 6, 2023
💬 We have stable, very good ties in political interaction, the economy and in humanitarian area.
🔗 Read in full: https://t.co/TQJAdrPlYi pic.twitter.com/ArVERoZX9Y
The two sides emphasised that the only way to achieve security and stability in Palestine is to implement international resolutions related to the two-state solution to create appropriate conditions for peaceful coexistence and economic development.
Both leaders reiterated their call for the Palestinian people to be allowed to “exercise their legitimate rights to establish an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement read.
In this regard, the Russian leader praised the Kingdom’s hosting of the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh, and its subsequent resolutions on the events in Palestine.
Additionally, Putin appreciated the Kingdom’s leadership in implementing the Summit resolutions to initiate an international movement to end the aggression against Gaza.
Concerning the Ukraine crisis, the Russian side hailed MbS’ humanitarian and political efforts, including the release of a number of prisoners of various nationalities, and its ongoing efforts in this regard.
Russia, Saudi Discuss Bilateral Relations
As per the statement, in the economic, trade, and investment fields, both leaders acknowledged the increase in trade volume, noting that bilateral trade volume increased by 46% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Both sides emphasised their willingness to continue working together to increase mutual and joint investments in the two countries and “enable the private sector to exchange visits, hold joint investment forums and events, and develop an investment-attractive environment,” the statement read.
In the energy sector, the two sides praised their close cooperation as well as the OPEC+ countries’ successful efforts to improve global oil market stability. “They stressed the importance of continuing this cooperation and the need for all participating countries to adhere to the OPEC+ agreement in a way that serves the interests of producers and consumers and supports the growth of the global economy,” the statement added.
Putin welcomed the Kingdom’s launch of the “Saudi Green Initiative” and the “Middle East Green Initiative,” and reaffirmed his support for the its circular carbon economy approach, which was launched and approved by G20 leaders.
Both sides express willingness to strengthen existing security cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual interest, such as “combating crime in all its forms, combating terrorism and extremism and their financing, and exchanging information to combat terrorist organisations, to achieve security and stability in the two countries.”
Additionally, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening and coordinating bilateral international cooperation to combat cross-border corruption crimes through the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities (GlobE Network).
Putin Welcomes Diplomatic Relations between Iran, Saudi
The Russian president welcomed the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi and Iran, expressing hope that this step would contribute to improving regional security and stability while respecting countries’ sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs.
The leaders also highlighted the importance of Iran’s commitment to the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme and transparent cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the importance of joint efforts in conducting comprehensive negotiations involving regional countries and addressing the sources of the threat to regional and international security and peace.