Vladimir Putin visits Saudi Arabia, keeps Oil & Iran on his agenda

Russian President Vlimir Putin arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, where he was set to seal oil agreements and try to use his influence to defuse tensions boiling in Gulf. His meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes following attacks on Saudi oil installations that Riyh and Washington have blamed on Moscow ally Tehran.

" main topic of discussion"

oil will be " main topic of discussion" between leers, Russian political analyst Fyodor Lukyav said, as a deal between Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Moscow is due to expire next spring. Moscow is t a member of OPEC, but it has worked closely with group to limit supply and push up prices after a 2014 slump that wreaked havoc on ecomies of Russia and cartel heavyweight Saudi Arabia. 

Moscow and Riyh -- a tritional ally of Washington -- have me a striking rapprochement in recent years, marked in particular by King Salman's first visit to Russia in October 2017. A year later, when Saudi crown prince, kwn as MBS, was under fire over assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Putin went out of his way to shake his hand at a G20 summit, to much comment.

In an interview with Arabic-langu television channels ahe of his visit, Putin praised his good relations with Saudi royals. "We will absolutely work with Saudi Arabia and our or partners and friends in Arab world... to reduce to zero any attempt to destabilize oil market," he said in interview brocast Sunday.

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Analyst Lukyav said that Moscow, with its older ties to Iran and new links with Saudi, could "play role of a peacemaker" as tensions soar between Tehran and Riyh. se tensions spiked last month after attacks on Saudi oil facilities that halved kingdom's crude output and set oil markets alight. Yemen's Huthi rebels, who are backed by Tehran, claimed responsibility. But US officials blamed Iran and said rebels did t have range or sophistication to target facilities.

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"Total war"

Tehran has denied involvement and warned of "total war" in event of an attack on its territory.  Russia has sought to keep a foot in both camps, proposing missiles to Riyh to defend itself, while at same time warning against "hasty conclusions" regarding Iran's alleged involvement. Last week an Iranian tanker was hit by suspected missile strikes off coast of Saudi Arabia, sparking fresh fears of war.

"As far as Russia is concerned, we will do everything possible to create necessary conditions for a positive dynamic," Putin said in interview brocast Sunday. Kremlin viser Yuri Ushakov said Syria's eight-year-old war would also feature in leers' talks on Monday.  Russia and Iran back President Bashar al-Ass's regime, while Saudis support opposition. But "it is important for Russia that an Arab country participates in political settlement in Syria," said Lukyav.

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"Only three n-Arab countries are hosting talks"

For w "only three n-Arab countries" -- Turkey, Russia, and Iran -- are hosting talks, he said.  In terms of business, visit is expected to result in around 30 agreements and contracts, according to Ushakov.  A dozen of se, in vanced techlogy, energy, and infrastructure sectors, will be signed by Russian sovereign wealth fund and are worth around USD 2 billion.  

In October 2017, Russia and Saudi Arabia also signed a memorandum of understanding paving way for Riyh's purchase of Moscow's powerful S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.  sale never materialized, however, as Saudi Arabia eventually opted to purchase a US system. After Saudi Arabia, Putin will travel to United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to meet powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan

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